Double Trouble
by ouatswanfan
Summary: What if Emma had twins? Henry and an almost thirteen year old daughter who is a lot like her…and a lot less willing to accept that Emma gave them up to give them their best chance. Her daughter wasn't raised by Regina or Emma. She didn't have the relatively happy childhood Henry had. Starts during S3E12. Incorporates events from cannon but will also diverge in some parts.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I've seen a few stories where Emma had twins and decided to write one of my own. I think this is a little bit different premise…at least from the other twin stories I've seen although there may be some I've missed. This starts during S3E12 New York City Serenade. All of seasons one – two happened and everything that happened in season three up until episode twelve happened. Henry's twin didn't grow up with Emma or Regina. She grew up a lot like Emma. As a result, she acts a lot more like Emma. This story will incorporate all of the characters from the show. I'm trying to keep everyone in character. Feedback on that would be helpful. I'm only on season three of the show. If you've been watching longer and think anyone is a little character, please let me know. I have a few chapters written and will continue if you guys like my take on this idea. Thank you so much for reading.

 **Chapter 1**

Emma Swan skimmed through the file on the latest failure to appear. She was a bail bondsperson…AKA a bounty hunter. That meant that it was her job to apprehend fugitives who skipped out on bail.

 _Trey Gilbert, 41 year-old, Male, 5' 9, 170 lbs, strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, arrested on charges of domestic violence, victim was wife Dawn Gilbert, no priors_

The file had a copy of the police report, a copy of his mugshot, his last known address, the name and address of his employer, the names of all living relatives currently residing in New York and their addresses, and a short bio. A red-faced man with bloodshot eyes and a scruffy beard stared back at Emma from the mugshot. It looked like he was drunk...a mean drunk evidently.

Thirty-five minutes later Emma parked on the street across from a dingy single-family home in Bushwick with overgrown weeds in the front yard and peeling white paint on the house. It was one of the more rundown houses on a street full of rundown houses. It was also Trey Gilbert's house.

Emma got out of her car to take a look around. The blinds were shut tight, there were no lights on behind the blinds, and there were no signs of life in the house.

Emma knocked on the front door. She wasn't surprised when no one came to the door. She glanced around to make sure there weren't any nosy neighbors to witness the minor crime she was about to commit and then picked the lock.

Technically she was breaking and entering. But cops were generally more interested in arresting the criminal who had skipped bail than the bounty hunter who may have bent a few rules to find said fugitive for them.

That's what Emma was trying to do…find Trey. Even if he wasn't dumb enough to return home, she might find a clue as to where he was hiding in the house.

Emma slipped into the outdated kitchen. There were no dishes in the sink or dishwasher. The refrigerator was almost completely empty with the exception of a few bottles of beer and a half-empty carton of milk with a past-due expiration date. The trashcan wasn't empty. It was almost overflowing with candy bar wrappers and crumpled fast food bags, but there were no receipts to tell her how old the food was. It could have been from before Trey's arrest. She went through the drawers methodically and created a stack of mail and miscellaneous paperwork. She didn't have time to look through all of it now. She wanted to get in and out of the house she had entered semi-illegally before anyone noticed she was there, but she would take it with her so she could look at it later.

There wasn't anything of interest in the small living room. It only had a TV, a coffee table and a couch with cigarette burns in it.

Emma moved further into the house. There were two bedrooms. She went into the master bedroom first. There was still men's clothing hanging in the closet and folded in the dresser, but no women's clothing. It looked like Trey's wife had taken her things and left after the whole domestic violence incident.

The master bath was more of the same. There was no make-up on the counter or in the drawers. However, the men's toiletries were also sparse. There were no toothbrushes or tubes of toothpaste out. There was no shaver or razor.

It was entirely possible Trey had only taken the essentials and had just left some of his clothes behind. If that was the case, Emma would have to look elsewhere for the fugitive.

Emma checked the second bedroom on her way out. A lot of people used their spare room as a home office. She hoped she would find a computer she could take a look at. She didn't.

There was an unmade twin bed with a threadbare blanket in the second bedroom. A large ratty t-shirt was thrown haphazardly on the floor. Someone had clearly been sleeping in there. Why would Trey sleep in here when there was a perfectly good queen-sized bed in the master bedroom?

Before she could look in the closet or move to the bathroom to see if there were any men's toiletries out on the counter, Emma heard the front door open and slam shut.

Emma moved quickly to stand with her back pressed flat against the wall next to the bedroom door. From where she was standing, she would be able to see the person entering the spare room before they saw her. As she heard footsteps approaching, her right hand went for her handcuffs. She watched the doorway carefully out of the corner of her eye.

Emma was completely shocked when, instead of Trey or even Dawn, a girl that was just barely five feet tall and looked to be only a little older than her twelve year-old son walked in.

It was, in fact, hard to say which of the two occupants of the room was more shocked at that moment. Emma's jaw dropped open. The girl's eyes widened in shock and fear as she stumbled back a half step. They stared at each other for several seconds.

"Who are you?" Emma finally asked, finding her voice before the girl found hers.

The only response she got wasn't much of a response.

"Who are _you_?"

Emma arched an expectant eyebrow. "I asked you first."

" _I_ actually live here. You don't."

"You live here?" Emma repeated, wondering if she had the wrong house. "I thought…I'm looking for Trey Gilbert."

The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you a cop?"

Emma laughed at that. It was a short laugh that was half-snort, half-scoff. "No, I'm not a cop."

The girl eyed the handcuffs in Emma's pocket warily. "Are those just an accessory?"

"I'm a bail bondsperson," Emma explained.

"Like a bounty hunter?"

Emma inclined her head. "Exactly. Now who are you and what are you doing here? Last time I checked, this is Trey Gilbert's house and he doesn't have any kids."

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "He doesn't. He has a foster kid."

That hadn't been in Trey's file.

Emma would have wondered what kind of an idiot would give Trey Gilbert a foster kid if she hadn't been placed with plenty of foster parents who were just as bad as he was when she was in the system.

Emma studied the girl intently. She was skinny – too skinny. She was wearing a black bomber jacket over a snug white t-shirt, tight jeans with holes over the knees that looked like they were more from wear-and-tear than a fashion statement, and tattered sneakers. She had a black backpack that looked like it was bursting at the seams slung over her bony shoulders. Everything she owned was probably in that backpack. She had backed up and shifted subtly until she was strategically positioned in front of the door, poised to run if Emma scared her off.

The signs of neglect and fear were glaringly obvious to anyone who knew what to look for, but Emma couldn't tell just from looking at the girl whether Trey's violent tendencies extended toward her or if that honor was just reserved for his wife. If the girl had any bruises, they were hidden under her clothes.

Emma nodded sadly. "Your foster mom…Dawn?"

The girl shrugged. "She left the night he was arrested."

Emma was angry at this woman she didn't even know, who had left her foster daughter alone with her abusive husband. If Trey had gone back to the house where this little slip of a girl was instead of hiding out wherever the hell he was…

Emma tried to keep the anger out of her voice. "She didn't take you with her?"

"Why would she?"

The girl couldn't even fathom why her foster mom would do what any mother – actually any decent person – would do.

Emma sighed. "Your social worker should have moved you when Trey was arrested."

"To another shitty foster home? Or worse, a group home?" The girl said in a stone cold voice.

"So you've been staying here alone since that night?" Emma surmised.

"I can take care of myself," the girl said fiercely.

"Maybe you can now," Emma acknowledged. "But what will happen when you have to leave this house? You know you can't stay in an abandoned house forever. Where will you go?"

The girl's silence was answer enough. She didn't have anywhere to go.

"I was in your situation for sixteen years," Emma told the girl.

The girl looked surprised.

"I ran away from foster care twice…once when I was a little younger than you and I was in one of those shitty group homes." Emma let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I only lasted a few days on the streets before going back to the system."

"On purpose?"

Emma lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I was cold."

"Well, I'm not going back." The girl edged closer to the door, as if preparing to turn and run.

"Okay." Emma held her hands up, palms facing the girl in a universal gesture of surrender. "I'm not going to call Social Services or the cops."

If she called Social Services, Emma wouldn't be able to help the girl. And she wanted – no, _needed_ \- to help her. She didn't know why she felt like she had to help her. Maybe it was because the girl reminded her a little of herself at that age. Or maybe it was because the girl was about her son's age and even looked a little like Henry. It was her coloring - she had long brown hair that streamed past her shoulders and hazel eyes.

But the girl didn't look like she really believed Emma.

"It's Friday night. Social Services isn't even open until Monday morning. We both know you'd get an emergency placement for the weekend, and I'm not going to do that to you…I promise. " Emma took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't regret what she was about to do. "How about you come with me?"

The girl chewed on her lower lip as she considered.

"I have a son about your age." Emma scrolled through the pictures on her phone until she found a good one of her and Henry. In it, they were standing in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. She showed the girl the picture. "This is Henry."

The girl studied the picture.

"We're just going to order pizza and play video games tonight. Come on, it'll be fun," Emma said with a small, encouraging smile.

"Yeah…okay," the girl agreed hesitantly.

Emma walked closely behind the girl as they left the Gilbert's house just in case she decided to try to make a break for it. She nodded toward the yellow Volkswagen Bug. "That's my car."

When they were both in the car, Emma glanced at the girl to make sure her seatbelt was buckled. "So, kid, what's your name?"

The girl hesitated. "Mia."

Mia didn't give her last name. Emma was sure that was intentional. But that was okay. There had to be some record of the girl's existence somewhere in the paperwork she found in the Gilbert's kitchen.

"I'm Emma. Emma Swan," Emma told her as she pulled away from the curb.

* * *

Mia didn't know what possessed her to get in the car with a virtual stranger. She didn't exactly have a lot of other appealing options. She did _not_ want to go to a group home. She hated to admit it - even just to herself - but she didn't think she'd survive on the streets. She had pickpocketed unwitting victims at the subway station to get a few bucks for small meals and stolen the random candy bar from a convenience store, but that was just about the extent of her criminal behavior. Her roommate during her short stint in a group home had been a runaway-turned-prostitute that was arrested and returned to the system by way of the group home. She shuddered at the thought of ever doing _that_. She knew she couldn't stay at the Gilbert's house now that this lady knew where she was…and even though the lady had acted like she had a choice, Mia knew she didn't really. The lady clearly wasn't going to leave her alone in the empty house.

Mia didn't really know anything about the lady…except that she'd broken into the Gilbert's house and carried handcuffs around. She said she wasn't a cop and Mia believed her. She didn't look like a cop. She was wearing a red leather jacket over a black top with jeans and boots. Mia had never seen a cop dressed like that.

The lady could be a serial killer, but Mia didn't think so. The boy that was with her in the picture she showed Mia was grinning crookedly. It was a natural smile, not forced for the camera. He looked like he was genuinely happy and well-cared for…not like he was being held captive by a crazy lady.

The lady seemed to understand the inner-workings of the system. She knew Mia would get an emergency placement, which was a nice way of saying a group home, if she called the cops or the after-hours line at Social Services on a Friday after 5:00. She hadn't said a word about Mia's language or disagreed with the sentiment when Mia referred to her foster home as shitty and group homes as even worse. She hadn't fed Mia any bullshit lines about finding a family. And there was just enough bitterness in her voice when she spoke of the system that Mia didn't think the lady was lying about being in the system. Only firsthand, real-life experience in the system could make someone that jaded.

That must be why the lady – Emma - was doing this. She knew what the system was like and she felt sorry for Mia.

Mia was quiet on the ride to Emma's apartment. Emma didn't try to get her to talk. In fact, Emma didn't say anything until she parked in the parking garage attached to her apartment building. "We're here."

Mia unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and grabbed her backpack. Emma was already out of the car waiting for her.

Emma stuck close to her as they walked into the apartment building from the garage and got in the elevator. It was like she thought Mia was going to bolt. Mia wasn't going to…at least not until Sunday night. That gave her two days to come up with some kind of a plan. She'd get out of there before Social Services opened on Monday.

The boy from the picture was sitting on a comfortable leather couch staring at the television screen with his hands curled tightly around a video game controller. He didn't look away from the screen until Emma spoke.

"Henry, this is Mia. She's going to be staying with us for a few days."

"Okay." Henry swiveled around to look at Mia. "Do you want to play?"

Mia let out the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. She'd been in homes where biological kids were none-too-pleased about sharing their homes or their parents with her. Henry didn't seem too worried about that.

"What is it?" Mia asked, not recognizing the game.

"Diablo," Henry answered.

"I don't know. I've never played it before," Mia admitted, approaching the couch tentatively.

"That's okay. We can play something else…like Mortal Kombat or Need for Speed," Henry suggested good-naturedly.

Mia shrugged. "Whatever you want to play is fine. It's your game."

"I vote for Mortal Kombat," Emma called from the kitchen.

Henry frowned. "You're playing? Don't you need to get ready?"

"Ready for what?" Emma asked.

"Your date with Walsh," Henry reminded her.

"Oh, crap, I forgot," Emma muttered. "Change of plans. I'm not going out with Walsh tonight."

"You have to go!" Henry told her. "Come on, Mom…first date restaurant…special night out…"

"You don't have to miss your date for me," Mia said, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"It's okay. The restaurant will still be there tomorrow," Emma said.

Yeah, Emma definitely thought Mia would run out on her. Mia was used to adults not trusting her, but it still bothered her…even if technically she _was_ planning to take off…just not that night.

"Poor Walsh," Henry muttered.

"We'll reschedule," Emma said defensively.

Henry shook his head. "It won't be the same."

"What kind of pizza do you like, Mia?" Emma asked loudly, changing the subject.

"Whatever you guys usually get is fine," Mia said quietly.

Emma ordered a large cheese pizza and then stepped out of the common area and into her bedroom…probably to call her boyfriend.

"Walsh was going to propose tonight," Henry said grudgingly.

Mia's eyes got big and round. She winced. "Shit, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Henry admitted with a sigh. "Not really. I think she knew he was going to propose and it scared her."

Mia raised her eyebrows. "It sounds like you like him more than Emma – uh, your mom does."

"That's not true," Henry protested. "She just thinks every guy is like my dad. He left her…us…only he didn't know about me."

Mia knew she should feel bad for him, but it was hard to feel too badly for him when he had a mom like Emma and Mia didn't have anyone.

"That's like me…only both of my parents left me," Mia said. "And my mom kind of had to know about me."

Henry blinked. "Oh…is that why you're staying with us?"

Mia nodded dully. "Your mom's going to call Social Services on Monday. That's what she said anyway. She promised not to call this weekend."

Mia regarded the door Emma had disappeared behind with suspicion. It had been several minutes. She thought Emma was probably calling her boyfriend, but what if she was calling the cops or the after-hours line for Social Services? Oh, shit…

"If that's what she said, she meant it. My mom always keeps her promises," Henry assured her.

 **Author's Note:** As you can probably guess, Mia is Emma's daughter and Henry's sister. Just to clarify, Emma does not know that yet. She doesn't even remember that she had twins. She has the memories Regina gave her, and Regina didn't know Henry was a twin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"That must be the pizza. Henry, will you get plates out?" Emma called over her shoulder as she went to get the door.

Mia's mouth watered at the thought of pizza. She hadn't had three meals a day since Trey was arrested and Dawn left. Even when her foster parents were there, food had sometimes been hard to come by.

Mia followed Henry into the kitchen to help set the table, more out of habit than anything else. It was highly unusual for the biological kid to do chores while she sat around. It was usually the other way around.

It took a few minutes from the time Emma went to answer the door until Mia started wondering what was taking so long. If it was just the pizza guy, Emma would have paid him already and been back with the pizza. What if it wasn't the pizza guy…what if it was a cop? Emma had certainly been in her room long enough to call the cops…

And okay, maybe Emma always kept her promises to her kid, but Mia wasn't her kid…Mia was no one to her. If Emma had the cops take Mia away, they would never even see each other again. It was very different from breaking a promise to her kid.

Mia felt panic rise in her throat. She moved as quietly as she could to the edge of the kitchen and peeked around the corner into the long entryway. From where she was standing, she could see Emma standing in the doorway with her back to Mia and a guy with dark hair standing just outside the door. She could just barely see the black leather jacket the guy was wearing instead of a uniform…he wasn't the pizza guy then, but he also wasn't a cop. He could be a social worker though...

Mia could hear Emma talking to the guy, but she couldn't make sense of anything they were saying. They might as well have been speaking a foreign language for how little she understood.

The guy almost sounded like he was hitting on Emma. Mia wondered if he was the boyfriend or maybe an ex for a second…until Emma threatened to punch him in the face.

It only got weirder from there. The guy said something to Emma about using her superpower.

Emma looked uncomfortable. Her shoulders tensed up and her whole body stiffened. "Just because you believe something is true does not make it real."

"Maybe…maybe not. I know you, Swan. You sense something's off. Go to that address. Take a chance. Then you'll want to talk. When you do, I'll be in Central Park by the entrance to the zoo. Don't do it for me or you. Do it for your family. They need your help."

Emma had a family? But Emma had said she was like Mia…

Mia was confused and a little hurt. She started to back away slowly. She thought she was being quiet, but Emma must have heard her because the woman looked over her shoulder.

Emma let out a frustrated sigh.

Mia froze mid-step. Her eyes widened in surprise and fear at being caught in the act eavesdropping. "I'm sorry!"

"Who's that?" The guy asked.

Emma did not look happy.

The woman moved the conversation into the hallway.

Mia stared numbly at the door that had slammed shut behind the woman.

There was no way Emma was going to let her stay now. The woman had taken her in for the weekend and Mia thanked her by spying on her…some thank you that was.

Mia didn't know why she couldn't have just trusted the woman. Well, actually she did. She had never met any adult she could trust…they all let her down eventually.

Not knowing what else to do, Mia went to get her backpack from the living room.

"What's going on? Where's my mom?" Henry asked.

"She's talking to some guy."

"What guy? Is it Walsh?"

"Walsh?"

"Her boyfriend," Henry reminded her.

"Uh, no, I don't think so."

"Oh." Henry sounded a little disappointed. "It's probably just the pizza guy then."

Mia bit her lower lip, not even knowing what to say about the weird scene she just witnessed. "I don't know…I guess..."

"What do you want to drink?" Henry asked as he poured a can of Coke into a glass.

"Nothing. I'm fine." And Mia didn't think she was going to be staying for dinner.

Henry gave her a strange look, but shrugged it off and sat down at his usual spot at the table.

"So does the rest of your family like this Walsh guy as much as you do?" Mia tried to sound casual.

Henry blinked. "It's just me and my mom. She's an orphan."

It was said so matter-of-factly that Mia didn't question the truth of it. But it raised other questions…like why the guy in the hall was so convinced Emma's family needed her help…

Mia knew it wasn't really any of her business. But a big part of the reason she had trusted Emma enough to go with her in the first place was that Emma seemed to know what it was like in the system. If Emma had a family, she would lose what little trust Mia had in her.

* * *

It hadn't been the pizza guy at the door. It had been the creep that showed up that morning and tried to kiss her, and he was holding a pizza box like it was his golden ticket in.

Emma listened to his crazy story that her nonexistent parents were in danger. Just from that it was clear he didn't know her at all.

It caught her off guard when he told her to use her superpower. It was the first thing he said that didn't sound completely crazy…at least not to her.

Emma could always tell when someone was lying to her. She'd been lied to enough growing up that she'd gotten really good at detecting lies. It was a useful skill in bond enforcement. It was even useful in parenting a twelve year old. Henry was a good kid, but he was still a kid. She always knew if he was lying about finishing his homework or how much candy he'd had. Emma had referred to her skill as a superpower to her kid whenever he questioned how she always knew. But how the hell would this random guy know that?

The thing was Emma could tell this guy wasn't lying…or at least he believed what he was saying.

Emma didn't believe a word of it. "Just because you believe something is true does not make it real."

Emma felt eyes on her and glanced over her shoulder, not really listening to the guy's response.

Sure enough Mia was standing there rooted to the spot, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Clearly she'd been eavesdropping.

Emma sighed. She couldn't really blame her. The poor kid was probably still worried Emma would call the cops or Social Services.

Okay, so Emma hadn't really promised anything beyond the weekend. She had reminded Mia that Social Services wasn't even open until Monday and promised that she wouldn't do anything to get the girl stuck in an emergency placement for the weekend. But she didn't really want to call Social Services…not even on Monday when they were open and the girl _wouldn't_ get an emergency placement. She was bound and determined to help Mia. She just didn't know how she was going to do that. She wasn't really sure what to do with an underage runaway. She'd never been on this side before…she'd only ever been the runaway and she always went back to the system – until she met Neal anyway.

That was why she hadn't said anything more to Mia. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what she was going to do. It wasn't like Emma had planned for this.

"I'm sorry!" Mia cried out.

The high-pitched, desperate-sounding apology was a sharp contrast to the halfhearted apologies Henry had offered when he'd been caught doing the exact same thing.

It made Emma wonder how the Gilberts would have reacted if they had caught Mia eavesdropping. She opened her mouth to reassure the girl, but the guy in the hall spoke before she could.

"Who's that?"

Damn it, her stalker did not need to know about Mia. Her gut was telling her that he didn't want to hurt her, but she wasn't going to take any chances with a kid who wouldn't know what to do if he went after her. He was obviously unhinged.

Emma turned furiously. She shoved the guy back none-too-gently and then stepped into the hallway herself, letting the door slam shut behind her.

"That is none of your business," Emma said flatly.

A small smirk played across the guy's lips. "Henry got himself a girlfriend?"

Hearing her son's name from this creep's lips brought Emma's protective instincts to the surface…or maybe it was knowing he'd seen Mia…or both…

It was one thing to mess with her. Emma hadn't really been scared when it was just her…just angry. Now she was angry and scared…not that she'd let him see that.

All she wanted to do was wipe the smug smirk off the guy's face. Her hands balled into fists at her sides. She struggled to act calm when she was so completely on edge.

"How do you know my son's name?" Emma demanded coldly.

"I've already told you…I'm an old friend," the guy said infuriatingly.

"I'm not your friend."

"You don't remember-"

"And if you show up here again, you'll see just how unfriendly I can be," Emma cut him off in a low, dangerous voice. "Stay away from me and my son. Go now or I'll call the cops and you'll go to jail for assaulting me."

"Assault? It was a kiss."

"Is that a confession?"

The guy held up his hands in defeat. "I'll go. But you have to go to that address."

He started to walk away and then remembered he had her pizza. "Your pizza, Swan."

Emma eyed the box he held out for her to take warily. "What did you do to it?"

"I wouldn't dream of poisoning you, love." The guy opened the pizza box and helped himself to a slice, taking a bite in front of her as if to prove it wasn't poisoned.

"Even if you didn't do anything to it, you don't look like you've had all your shots. It's yours now. Take it to go," Emma said coolly.

She watched until he disappeared down the hallway. She only went back into her apartment once the sound of his footsteps had faded away completely. She locked the door behind her and slid the deadbolt into place.

Mia had finally moved from her spot, but she wasn't very far into the apartment and her backpack was slung over her shoulders like she thought she was going somewhere. She wasn't.

Henry was sitting at his usual place at the kitchen table slurping Coke from a large glass. He frowned when Emma came in empty-handed. "Where's the pizza?"

Emma glanced at Mia, but the girl wouldn't look at her. She was surprised the girl hadn't said anything to Henry. "That wasn't the pizza guy. I'm going to call them to find out what's taking so long. You guys should have time for another game."

Mia's eyes shot up to Emma's. "Another game? You mean…you're not kicking me out?"

Emma held her gaze. "I'm not."

Mia looked surprised.

Henry looked from Mia to Emma, confusion written all over his face. "What happened?" And then he looked back at Mia in complete bewilderment. "What did you do?"

It was strange to see two kids who were so close in age and yet came from two very different worlds. There was Mia who couldn't fathom a world where she did something wrong, no matter how minor the offense, and was given another chance…and then there was Henry who couldn't imagine anything he – or even Mia – could do that would be bad enough for Emma to just kick him – or Mia - out. Even though Emma had given her son the world where he felt safe, she had come from the same world as Mia…and it was a cold, cruel world.

"Nothing," Emma lied. "Why don't you go set the game up? I'm going to show Mia where she can put her stuff so she doesn't have to keep carrying her backpack around everywhere."

Emma kept her tone light, but Mia still looked at her with the same expression Henry had when she took away his electronics as punishment for skipping school to go to the arcade…only Mia hadn't done anything that terrible and Emma wasn't trying to punish her. Emma just wasn't taking any chances on the girl leaving…and there was no chance Mia would leave without her backpack…not when everything she owned was in it.

Emma saw a spark of defiance in the girl's hazel eyes and thought for a second she was going to argue, but the girl ended up grudgingly following her.

Mia came to a complete stop in the doorway. "But this is your room…"

"It's a two bedroom apartment," Emma said. "I'll take the couch."

It would be a lot harder for Mia to take off in the middle of the night if Emma was on the couch in the living room and the girl had to get by her to get to the door. Emma's apartment was in a newer high-rise building so going out the window wouldn't really be an option for her unless she was planning to scale the building.

Mia seemed to realize that much because this time she did argue. "It's your apartment. I'll take the couch."

"It is my apartment," Emma agreed. "And I want you to take the bed."

The girl's thin shoulders slumped in defeat as she followed Emma all the way into the master bedroom. She reluctantly set her backpack down on the floor by Emma's bed.

Emma showed Mia where she could find clean towels in the attached master bathroom and dug an extra toothbrush out from the cabinet under the sink.

"Do you want to change into pajamas or something more comfortable?" Emma asked.

Henry was already in a t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, and Emma was going to change into something more comfortable after the pizza place brought her a new pizza.

"No," Mia said a little too quickly.

Emma gave her a knowing look…it would be harder for the girl to run off in pajamas. But the girl wouldn't be running anywhere without her backpack so it was a moot point.

"Whenever you're ready to change, t-shirts are in the top drawer of my dresser. You're welcome to borrow one if you don't have anything to sleep in," Emma said carefully.

"Thanks," Mia said quietly.

Now that Mia was somewhat settled, Emma knew they had a few other things they needed to settle.

"So how much of that conversation did you hear?" Emma asked bluntly.

Emma knew she didn't need to specify which conversation she was referring to. Mia blushed.

"I'm sorry," Mia apologized again.

"I'm not mad," Emma assured her. "And I'm not looking for an apology. I'm looking for an answer."

"Um…it was around the time you called that guy a crazy person or a liar…"

"That's what he is - a crazy person," Emma told her.

"I thought you might have called the cops even though you said you wouldn't," Mia admitted.

"Here's the thing…I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar," Emma started.

Mia raised her eyebrows. "You just lied to your kid. You told him nothing happened."

Crap, Emma really hadn't expected the girl to throw that in her face.

Mia was clearly looking for any reason not to trust her…and Emma had just given her one.

Emma tried to justify it. "That was just to protect him. I don't want him to worry about the crazy guy. That's my job."

"Right," Mia said slowly. "And you don't want me to worry about the cops or Social Services."

Once trust was broken, Emma knew how hard it was to get it back. But that wasn't going to stop her from trying…

"Look, I know there's nothing I can say that will stop you from worrying about that. But I am going to help you."

"How?" Mia looked – and sounded – extremely skeptical.

Emma had been thinking about that and so far she had only come up with one idea. "Well, I'm pretty good at finding people. I can find your birth parents."

"I'm not interested. They didn't want me when I was born. Why would they want me now?" Mia said bitterly.

Emma understood where all of that bitterness was coming from...maybe a little too well. Hell, she was _still_ bitter and she was thirty. It had been over a decade since she was in the system. Mia was just a kid who was still stuck bouncing around in the system. It wasn't uncommon for foster kids to feel like they wouldn't be in their current situation if their birth parents hadn't given them up…like their birth parents were the reason for everything bad that happened to them in the screwed up system.

"They might not," Emma acknowledged. It might have sounded harsh, but she knew the girl wouldn't appreciate it if she sugarcoated it for her. "But you don't know why they gave you up. Maybe they gave you up because they didn't think they could take care of you then…maybe that's changed in the last – how old are you, kid…thirteen?"

Mia's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Yeah, thirteen."

Emma knew the girl was lying the second she opened her mouth. And it wasn't like she would tell Emma she was younger than she really was - that wouldn't help her case that she could take care of herself. She must be twelve then…the same age as Henry.

But Emma decided to play along with the lie for now. "A lot can change in thirteen years. It's worth a shot."

"And if nothing's changed?" Mia questioned stiffly.

"I've spent a lot of time with a lot of kids like you, and all of them – all of us – want to know where we came from," Emma said softly.

"My last name…it's Cassidy," Mia said after several seconds. "You need that to find my birth parents, right?"

The girl's last name – _Neal's_ last name – threw Emma off her game a little. It didn't help that the girl kind of looked like her son with Neal. They had the same coloring…brown hair and hazel eyes.

Emma wouldn't put cheating past the bastard…she wouldn't put much of anything past Neal. But the math didn't compute…they had been together almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week until _she_ was arrested for _his_ crime. Any other children he had running around would be younger than Henry.

Emma was almost positive Mia wasn't younger than Henry. The girl looked older. Part of that could be the way she was dressed, but it was more than that. Her son's face was still soft and rounded – a baby face. Mia's face was more angular with sharper lines…less baby fat. And Mia's eyes may have been the same color as Henry's, but there was a weariness in them that Emma never wanted to see in her son's…a weariness that no twelve year old - no kid - should have.

Emma was studying the girl closer than ever before. "I need to know how old you are, too. We both know you're not thirteen."

"Almost thirteen," Mia admitted. "I'll be thirteen in August."

August…that was when Henry was born. There was no way the girl could be Neal's then. The timeline didn't work. Emma let out a small, relieved sigh.

"Where were you born?" Emma asked.

"Boston," Mia answered.

Emma smiled at her. "That'll help. Why don't you go play another game with Henry? I'm going to order another pizza."

Mia looked a little taken aback. "Wait, that's it?"

"Yeah, for now."

 **Author's Note:** Thank you so much to everyone who is reading this and especially anyone who reviewed. I'm so glad you seem to like my take on this idea so far.

Some of the dialogue between Emma and Hook was taken directly from S3E12.

The rest of this is just a little bit of additional explanation of the information Mia gave Emma. You won't miss out on anything important if you don't read it and the next chapter will still make sense to you.

I'm definitely not an expert on the foster care system, but I did some research for the integrity of this story. From what I read, kids who are given up and are _not_ adopted are given the last name of either the birth mother _or_ the birth father _if_ it is known. As you saw, the last name Cassidy definitely got Emma's attention, but it wasn't a dead giveaway like Swan would've been.

As we know, Henry – and by extension his twin – were born in Arizona, but in S3E09 Gold tells Regina that a baby boy from Phoenix was placed with a family nearby in Boston and the adoption fell through. Mia wasn't lying to Emma…she really doesn't know she was born in Arizona…her earliest memories are of Boston.

I'm not going to drag Emma finding the truth out too terribly long, but I didn't want it to be so obvious that she'd have to be an idiot to not realize it immediately. I don't think she's an idiot at all and don't want to make her look like one so she's going to have to work with some bad information.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Mia practically inhaled her first slice of pizza. Emma remembered the almost empty refrigerator at the Gilbert's house…the girl must be hungry, but she didn't reach for another slice.

"There's plenty if you want more," Emma said gently.

Henry was already on his third slice and gave her a strange look. Emma could see the question in his eyes and shook her head ever so slightly in what she hoped was a subtle message. Henry seemed to understand because he watched quietly without comment as Mia finally got a second slice of pizza.

Henry was a good kid. He didn't have a lot of friends though. It didn't help that they had only moved to New York a year ago…it was hard to start a new school knowing no one. But Henry had always spent more time with his head stuck in a book or zoned out in front of a video game than with other kids his age - even in Boston.

Emma was glad her son seemed to be enjoying Mia's company. It turned out they both loved to read and they had spent most of dinner comparing notes on different books they had read. The subject had come up when Henry switched the TV over to a Harry Potter movie marathon on cable before they all sat down at the table.

Mia was less guarded with Henry than she was with Emma. It was only adults she didn't trust then. Emma had let them talk and been a mostly silent observer.

"The third one's on next," Henry said excitedly as the second Harry Potter movie ended. "It's my favorite."

"Prisoner of Azkaban? It's kind of sad…"

"No, it's not! He finds his godfather."

"But he still has to go back to the Dursleys. Hey, have you read The Hunger Games?"

Emma thought the change of subject was probably intentional on Mia's part. It was fine when they were talking about their favorite characters and which house they would be in at Hogwarts, but Harry's status as an orphan living with people who didn't want him may have hit a little too close to home for the girl.

"Hunger Games? Those books are kind of dark…kids killing kids," Emma interjected.

Her son hadn't read the books or seen the movies…though not because he hadn't wanted to. Emma thought they were a little too dark for a twelve year old and had said someone must agree with her since the movies were rated PG-13. Henry hadn't fought her on it because she so rarely said no to things like that. When she did, her son almost always respected it.

"Why do they kill each other?" Henry asked earnestly.

"They don't really have a choice," Mia said.

"There's always a choice," Henry replied.

"Yeah, some choice. They have to kill or be killed. Sometimes you do whatever it takes to survive."

"Sounds dark," Henry murmured his agreement with Emma's assessment. "Have you read The Chronicles of Narnia?"

"No…I didn't like the movies."

"The books are better than the movies. I have the first one. You can borrow it if you want," Henry told her.

"Thanks, but I don't think I can finish it before I leave."

That clearly hadn't occurred to Henry, but he didn't seem too concerned. "That's okay. You can take it and give it back later. It's not like we'll never see each other again…we're friends now, right?"

Mia looked at Emma for help.

Emma kept her face blank and pretended not to understand the silent plea. She was curious how Mia would respond. She knew the girl wouldn't say anything bad to her son, at least not in front of her, but the girl might brush him off.

Emma thought Henry and Mia could both use a friend, but she knew Henry was a very different kid from the kind of kids Mia would have spent time with in the system…hell, the kind of kid Emma had been herself. She knew all-too-well how jealous kids like Mia could be of kids like Henry who had what they desperately wanted…a family - even if Henry's family was just Emma. Well, Emma and a deadbeat dad who didn't even know about Henry – and didn't deserve to know about him. But Emma had tried – and had mostly succeeded – in taking care of her kid the way she wished someone would have taken care of her when she was a kid.

Mia let out a small sigh. "Yeah, we're friends."

Emma tilted her head to study the girl. She wasn't lying. She really did think of Henry as a friend then. Her hesitance must have been just because she didn't think she'd be there long enough to finish the book…and didn't know where she'd end up next.

Henry disappeared into his room and reappeared a few minutes later with his copy of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

"Thanks," Mia said a little helplessly.

Henry grinned crookedly.

Emma stifled a smile as she rose from her seat and picked up their empty plates. "How about ice cream for dessert?"

* * *

It was 11:00 pm when the Harry Potter movie marathon ended and the station started showing infomercials. Mia had looked like she'd been struggling to keep her eyes open for the last thirty minutes of the movie.

After one last failed attempt to convince Emma that she should take the couch, the girl gave up and retreated to Emma's bedroom. Henry had already gone to his room after mumbling a good night.

Mia was still wearing her black bomber jacket and jeans even though Emma and Henry were both in pajamas. Either the girl didn't want to borrow so much as a t-shirt from Emma or she was hiding a bruise or two under the long sleeves of the jacket. Knowing Trey was arrested for hitting his wife, Emma thought it was probably the latter.

Mia had sat stiffly in the furthest corner of the couch, looking like she was trying to take up as little space as possible...even while Henry was sprawled out with his feet propped up on the coffee table. The girl was clearly still uncomfortable.

Emma listened carefully for any strange sounds…like a window opening, but she only heard the toilet flushing and then water running for a few minutes. There was a small gap between when the water stopped running and when the light was turned off.

Emma poured herself a glass of wine. She needed one - or two - after the day she'd had. Between finding a kid living alone in her newest case's abandoned house - a kid she now felt at least somewhat responsible for - and her new stalker's disturbing knowledge, it had been a really long day.

Emma contemplated the stack of paperwork she'd gotten in the Gilberts' house. Most of it probably wasn't related to Mia. Oh, there should be something on the girl buried amongst the junk mail, bills, receipts, and other paperwork…foster parents usually had copies of medical records and transcripts. The Gilberts wouldn't have anything identifying Mia's birth parents though…birth certificates were generally kept by Social Services. Emma knew that from when she got a hold of her own…

Her own birth certificate had been a dead end. She was left abandoned on the side of the road. No one seemed to know who had abandoned her so her original birth certificate was blank where the names of the mother and father should have been.

Emma sighed tiredly. She didn't know why she thought she could find Mia's birth parents when she couldn't even find her own parents. It was the only thing she could think of to help the girl though so she was damn well going to try.

The girl's medical records would be a good starting point. Unfortunately, they weren't anywhere in the stack of paperwork. Her school records were however. That was better than nothing.

Emma built out a timeline based on Mia's transcripts. Although there was almost no chance the girl had been in the same placement from birth to age five, a kindergarten transcript from an elementary school in South Boston was the earliest record Emma had of the girl's existence.

Emma made a list of all of the hospitals in the area surrounding the elementary school and hoped Mia was born at one of them. She would find out when she called pretending to be Mia's social worker, whose business card had conveniently been in the jumbled mess of paperwork. She just needed the girl's birthdate first.

* * *

Mia was a light sleeper. She woke up when she heard the sounds of early morning activity…rustling around, water running, the clinking of a coffee mug. She glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was just after 8:00 am.

She shed the oversized t-shirt she'd borrowed from Emma – or more accurately from Emma's dresser - and pulled the t-shirt and jeans she'd been wearing the day before on. She made a quick detour to the master bathroom. As she was washing her hands, she inspected the ugly bruise around her right wrist. Anyone with eyes could see that it was clearly from fingerprints. She shrugged her black bomber jacket back on and made a mental note not to take it off. It was a hand-me-down from an older foster sister and it was a little big on her. The sleeves completely covered her wrists.

Mia debated whether to stay in Emma's room where she was out of the way or go out and help with breakfast. She decided on the latter.

Emma was sitting on the couch with a bunch of paperwork spread out in front of her on the coffee table and her laptop open in her lap. The woman looked up at her. "Morning."

"Morning," Mia mumbled in response as she edged closer to the woman. The name of her junior high school and the school insignia on one of the many pieces of paper on the coffee table caught her eye. "Hey, that's my report card! What are you doing with it?"

Emma's eyebrows shot up. Mia couldn't tell whether it was out of surprise or disapproval. "It was with some paperwork that was at the Gilberts' house."

Mia glared. "Well, it's none of your business."

Mia didn't know why the idea of Emma seeing her grades bothered her so much. She was used to people thinking she was dumb, but for some reason she didn't want Emma to think that. But why did she even care what Emma thought of her?

"Look, kid-"

"I'm not a kid," Mia cut her off. She didn't feel like a kid…she had never really felt like a kid. She didn't like being compared with someone like Henry whose biggest problem was getting to the next level in his videogame.

Emma just stared at her. "You're twelve…"

"Almost thirteen," Mia said defensively.

"Okay, almost thirteen," Emma acknowledged. "I'm trying to find your parents. Remember that?"

Mia stared at her blankly. "And how does knowing I suck at math help you do that?"

Emma sighed. "You don't suck at math. And even if you did, it's not knowing you suck at math…it's knowing where you've lived and when."

"Why bother? I've never lived with my parents."

"I was trying to figure out where you went to kindergarten. I'm going to check nearby hospitals to see if you were born in any of them."

Mia's anger deflated. "Oh…"

"Actually, I was looking for your medical records. Any idea where the Gilberts would have kept them?"

Mia thought about it for a second. "Did you check the hall closet?"

"No. Should I have?"

Mia shrugged. "There are some boxes and bins and stuff in there."

Emma nodded. "I'll go back and look."

"I'll go with you."

"No, it's too dangerous. What if Trey is there?"

"You mean my foster father that I've lived with for a year? Now he's too dangerous?"

"He hurt Dawn, and I'm guessing he hurt you, too."

Mia stiffened. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Emma gave her a knowing look. "Really? Then take off your jacket."

Mia looked away from the intensity of Emma's gaze. "What? No. He won't even be there…he hasn't been back since he got his stuff…"

Emma stared at her in shock. "Were you there when he went back for his stuff?"

"I live there," Mia reminded her.

"Did he hurt you?" Emma asked urgently.

"No," Mia said flatly. He hadn't hurt her…not really…just warned her to keep her mouth shut.

Emma studied her carefully and then leaned forward. "Tell me this…on your report card, your teacher said something about how much school you've missed. Have you been skipping school? Or were you hurt?"

"I was skipping," Mia said quickly…maybe a little too quickly.

Emma didn't look like she believed her.

"Why do you care?" Mia asked in an exasperated tone before the woman could resume her line of questioning.

Emma smiled sadly. "Because I'm actually a decent person…and because whatever you're going through, I've been through it, too, and I can help you if you'll let me."

Mia shook her head. "You've been in foster homes, but not all foster homes are the same…some are worse."

Emma stilled. "And the Gilberts…it was worse?"

"I…didn't say that," Mia said carefully.

Emma gave her a look. "You kind of did…"

"Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Mia."

They both turned to look at Henry. He had clearly just woken up. He was still in pajamas and his hair was messy. Mia was so grateful for the distraction she could have hugged him…and she was not a hugger.

"We'll finish this conversation later," Emma said in a low voice.

Mia paled. Emma wasn't going to let this go…was she?

"What do you guys want for breakfast? Eggs or pancakes?" Emma asked as she gathered her paperwork, including Mia's transcripts, up.

"Eggs," Henry decided after a second.

"Mia?" Emma questioned.

"I'm not hungry," Mia said, feeling a little sick.

"That wasn't one of the choices. Eggs or pancakes?"

"Eggs is fine," Mia said tightly.

* * *

Mia picked at the scrambled eggs on her plate. The girl hadn't even had two bites.

"Henry's never gotten food poisoning from my cooking." Emma tried to keep her tone light. "Isn't that right, kid?"

"Not from breakfast…"

Emma stared at her son. "Seriously?"

Henry just grinned cheekily. "So Mia, what do you want to do today?"

Mia looked up from her plate for the first time since they sat down. "I don't know. What do you do around here?"

"Mom, can we go to Central Park?"

Emma hesitated…her creepy stalker said he'd be in Central Park. "Actually, it's gonna be cold today. How about we go to the arcade instead?"

"Which arcade? Dave and Busters?" Henry tried to negotiate.

Emma smiled. "You just want to make sure no one beat your high score on Space Invaders."

"Have you ever been to Dave and Busters?" Henry asked Mia.

Mia shook her head.

"We have to go," Henry pleaded with just a little bit of a whine in his voice.

"Okay," Emma gave in reluctantly. It would be harder to keep an eye on two kids at Dave and Busters than it would have been at the small arcade a few blocks away, but it was really only Mia that was a flight risk…

Henry finished his breakfast in record time and put his empty plate in the sink. "I'm going to take a shower and get ready!"

Mia jumped up from her chair. "Me too!"

Emma stared at the girl's retreating back. Mia did not want to finish their conversation, but that just made Emma more determined to get answers. She had a really bad feeling…and her gut instincts were usually right.

 **Author's Note:** Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. This was a quick chapter. I just wanted to show a little more of the dynamic between the three of them before any revelations. The next one is longer and will start at Dave and Busters. I have something that I hope will be more interesting than just arcade games planned.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You can't bring your backpack to Dave and Busters," Emma said.

"It's _my_ backpack."

"And it will be here when we get back," Emma replied. And so would Mia if her backpack was back at Emma's apartment. Otherwise Emma had a feeling she'd be leaving her apartment with two kids and going home with one.

"It's mine. If I want to bring it, I will," Mia said coldly.

"Then you aren't going," Emma told her calmly.

Mia rolled her eyes. "I'm not the one that wanted to go."

They had a stare down that lasted several seconds and would have lasted several more if Henry hadn't intervened in the silent battle of wills.

Henry turned to Mia. "But…if you aren't going, my mom will stay here with you instead of taking me. I don't understand…why are you being like this?"

Henry was right...there was no way Emma was leaving Mia alone in the apartment. She didn't trust the girl not to run off any more than the girl trusted her not to call the cops.

"Me? Ask _her_." Mia glared at Emma. "She's the one that doesn't want me to bring my backpack for some unknown reason."

Now Emma wanted to roll her eyes. She and Mia both knew why she didn't want the girl to bring her backpack. Mia wasn't stupid, and neither was Emma. "Henry, go to your room for a few minutes."

Henry looked like he might argue for a second, but decided against it and went to his room grudgingly.

Emma took a deep breath and turned to Mia. "You don't trust me."

* * *

Mia watched Henry's bedroom door shut and let out a frustrated sigh. Now Henry _and_ Emma were pissed at her…and she was alone with a pissed off Emma.

This was so stupid. It was her backpack!

And she didn't even want to go to the arcade in the first place. She had about sixty dollars, but it was for food and maybe a bus ticket if her waste of space of a social worker found her. It wasn't for stupid games like Space Invaders.

"You don't trust me." Emma didn't sound angry. Maybe she wasn't as pissed off as Mia thought.

"Trust has to be earned," Mia said flatly.

"You're right. It does."

Mia gaped at the woman. She had expected some bullshit line about trusting her because she was an adult.

"It's okay…I get it. You haven't known a lot of adults that have earned your trust," Emma said matter-of-factly…like she knew, or at least understood.

"Try zero," Mia muttered under her breath.

"Well, if you would give me half a chance, I might make the shortlist."

Mia crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why should I trust you when you don't trust me?"

"What have you done to earn my trust?"

Mia was caught off guard by the question and didn't have an answer. "Um…I don't know."

"You eavesdropped on my conversation yesterday," Emma reminded her.

"You said you weren't mad!"

"I'm not mad. But that doesn't mean I trust you," Emma said evenly.

Mia bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry."

Emma smirked slightly. "You said that a few times already. It doesn't change the fact that I don't trust you any more than you trust me. I do trust that you won't run away without your backpack…"

Mia stared at her. "Run away? I'm not even supposed to be here."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, well, I don't think you were supposed to be alone in an abandoned house either. I'm just trying to be responsible here."

That choice of words set off little alarm bells in Mia's head. She knew she was technically a runaway. Maybe she hadn't actually run away from the Gilberts' house, but she had been ducking her social worker…and she knew a _responsible_ adult would call the cops or Social Services to report a runaway. Emma hadn't done that yet or Mia would be gone already, but Mia couldn't just stay there…it was a two-bedroom apartment…there was no room for her…Emma wouldn't give up her bed forever. No, Emma's apartment wasn't Mia's home, and Mia didn't think of leaving as running away…just leaving before the woman got tired of sleeping on the couch.

Mia eyed her wearily. "Wouldn't responsible be calling Social Services?"

Emma scoffed. "Yeah, maybe for someone who didn't spend sixteen years in the system."

The woman's distrust of the system rang true in her words…just like it had the first time they talked. Mia studied her face. "I'm actually starting to believe you won't call Social Services or the cops."

"I won't."

"Not even on Monday?"

"I'm going to find your parents first…and then we'll go from there," Emma hedged. It was a half-answer, but it was better than the answer Mia thought she would get.

"I'll leave my backpack here," Mia said quietly. She was a little embarrassed after making such a big deal about it, but it was her backpack and everything she owned was in it…and she hadn't known if she would have another chance to leave before Monday. Now she wouldn't have to.

* * *

Dave and Busters was crowded. It would be hard to keep track of Mia in the crowd.

Emma was glad she had told the girl that she couldn't bring her backpack. That might just be the one thing that would stop the girl from slipping away while she had a chance.

Emma guided the girl and her son over to a high top table in the bar area with a hand on each of their shoulders. When Mia told the waitress that she wasn't really hungry and just wanted water, Emma ordered two appetizers to share so that she would eat something.

"Mom, can I go play a game while we wait?" Henry asked.

Emma hesitated. "Not now."

Henry sighed. "Fine. I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Emma watched Henry walk over to the bathroom, look over his shoulder, and then make a beeline for the game area. She shook her head and stifled a chuckle. She and Neal were his parents…he came by it honestly.

Emma had only said no because she couldn't tell Henry yes and Mia no, and she didn't really want to let the girl out of her sight. If her son wanted to use his allowance to play a quick game, Emma wasn't going to stop him.

When she turned her attention back to Mia, the girl was staring off to the side. Emma followed her gaze to a designer handbag that was casually hung on the back of a chair. The owner of the handbag was turned away from the bag and seemed completely preoccupied with a toddler. The woman was an easy target for a pickpocket…something Emma had a feeling Mia recognized.

Emma surveyed the area until she spotted what she was looking for…security cameras. If she told the girl not to do what she was thinking of doing, it would only make her want to do it more. If she pointed the security cameras out to the girl, Mia would have a real reason to listen.

"Hey," Emma said.

Mia turned to her. "Yeah?"

"If you were thinking of picking any pockets today, don't," Emma said bluntly.

Mia looked shocked.

Emma nodded toward a security camera. "See that? I won't call the cops, but someone else might."

Mia looked at her with wide eyes. "How'd you know?"

Emma laughed. "I'm not as stupid as you and Henry think I am."

"Henry?" Mia questioned.

"He's not in the bathroom. He's playing a game. Speak of the devil." Emma turned to look at her son. "Did you win?"

Henry blinked. "Win?"

Emma arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, whatever game you were playing."

Henry groaned. "How do you always know?"

"You're _my_ son," Emma said with a smile.

Henry gave her a small, knowing smile. "And it's what you would have done...isn't it?"

"Maybe," Emma hedged.

"You'll be happy to know I still have the high score on Space Invaders," Henry told her.

"I'm so proud."

"You should be."

* * *

Emma got two cards and loaded each of them with twenty dollars for games. She tried to give one of the little plastic cards to Mia, but the girl wouldn't take it.

Mia shook her head. "That's yours."

Emma shrugged. "We can all share."

And they did. She guided her son and the girl toward games they could all play together - or at least at the same time. They raced cars, threw balls at clowns, and played Skee-Ball.

The only way Mia would play was if Emma swiped her card for her. It was strange that the girl had no qualms about stealing from strangers, and yet she didn't want to take anything from Emma. In spite of her reluctance to play on Emma's dime, Mia actually seemed to be having fun. The girl did an annoying little victory dance when she beat Henry at Dance Dance Revolution.

And then Henry challenged Emma to air hockey. They were pretty evenly matched. Henry scored the final game winning point on her and when Emma looked up, Mia was gone. She'd been watching them for at least part of the game because she laughed when Henry called Emma old and slow the first time she failed to block the puck. Damn it, Emma didn't even know when Mia had slipped away or how much of a head start the girl would have on her…

Emma really didn't think the girl would leave without her backpack…but she couldn't see the girl anywhere in the sea of kids…and that was just in the arcade. It would be even harder to find Mia if she was out in Times Square.

Emma didn't like the idea of the girl out there on the streets. She knew what it was like to be a kid and be alone in the world…she knew how dangerous it was.

Emma was a little disappointed…she thought they had an understanding, but she wasn't really surprised...Mia had only known adults that she couldn't trust for twelve years. She was more worried than anything else.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked.

"I don't see Mia." Emma tried to keep her voice calm.

"I'll help you look for her," Henry offered.

"Thanks, kid."

Emma started striding toward the entrance. Henry was right next to her, but he stopped suddenly.

"Mom!" Henry nodded toward the pool tables. "Isn't that Mia?"

Emma followed her son's gaze. Mia was playing pool with a teenage boy.

Emma exhaled. "That's her alright."

They made their way over to the pool tables. Mia was leaning down over the pool table to take a shot and didn't notice them right away. The girl sank a striped ball in the opposite corner pocket. It had been an easy shot. She was lined up perfectly.

Emma counted the balls still left on the table. There was only one more striped ball and there were three solid balls…four including the eight-ball.

Mia moved around the table to line up her next shot without ever looking up. The look of intense concentration on her face reminded Emma of Henry when he was playing Diablo on PlayStation.

Mia took her shot and sank the last striped ball. It hadn't been an easy shot…it was a bank shot and would have required a certain amount of skill.

"She's really good at this," Henry murmured.

Mia must have recognized his voice because she glanced up and nodded at him. It was a friendly nod of recognition. The half-smile the girl gave her son faded when she met Emma's gaze.

Emma could tell the girl didn't really know what to make of her. She wasn't angry…she had never really been angry. She was a little annoyed, but she was more relieved than annoyed. It was actually a good thing that the girl had a chance to leave and hadn't...Mia chose to stay instead.

Mia looked away from Emma and went back to studying the table. "Eight-ball, left side pocket."

No one was surprised when the black eight-ball sailed right into the left side pocket.

The teenage boy shoved a crumpled dollar bill toward Mia. Emma couldn't make out the dollar amount.

Mia stuffed the bill in the back pocket of her jeans. She shifted uncomfortably under Emma's gaze. "What?"

"You know what," Emma told her.

"I didn't steal. I won fair and square," Mia said defensively.

Henry looked a little shocked at how casually Mia talked about stealing.

Emma gave her a knowing look. She tried not to sound as amused as she was. "Let me guess…you told him you'd never played before and he bought it."

"I didn't say never…"

"Right. Why don't you play someone who can give you a run for your money?" Emma challenged.

"Who? You?" It looked like Mia was sizing her up.

Emma shrugged casually. "Unless you're scared…"

"If you guys are going to play another game, can I go play Space Invaders?" Henry asked…he'd never really had the patience for pool…it didn't help that he never won, at least not against her.

"Go ahead," Emma told him.

Henry headed off in the direction of his favorite game.

"How much do you want to bet?" Mia asked.

"I don't want your money," Emma said with a smirk.

Mia eyed her warily. "You don't? What do you want?"

Emma took a deep breath. "I want answers about what Trey did to you…real ones. I want you to give me a chance…a real chance. And I want you to promise me that you won't run away."

"Oh, is that all?" Mia said sarcastically.

"If you win," Emma continued undeterred, "I won't ask you about Trey again. And if I can't find your birth parents, I'll let you go. I'll teach you some of the stuff I learned when I ran away…stuff that'll help you. Hell, I'll even buy you a bus ticket to wherever you want to go."

"If I win, you won't ask me about Trey again. And if you can't find my parents _or_ if you find them and they still don't want me, you'll let me go. You'll teach me _everything_ you learned when you ran away that could help me. And you'll give me money for a bus ticket," Mia countered.

Emma stifled a smile...the girl was good. "Okay then. We have a deal. Do you want to break or should I?"

"I'll do it," Mia said quickly.

The girl racked the balls and then took her place. She sent the white cue ball toward the other balls in one smooth movement that appeared practiced and easy. It hit the triangle of balls at an angle with enough force to send the other balls spiraling in various directions. The striped purple twelve-ball was the only one that actually ended up in a pocket though. Mia managed to sink two more striped balls, but she scratched on the last one. To be fair, it had been a difficult shot.

"Damn it," Mia muttered under her breath.

"My turn," Emma said as she retrieved the cue ball.

Emma took an easy shot to start with…it helped that she got to put the cue ball where she wanted it…and she saw no reason to let Mia see how outmatched she was this early in the game. She sank three balls in a row, tying the game up, before she had to make a more difficult shot if she wanted to keep control of the table - and she did. She aimed the cue ball at Mia's striped red fifteen-ball. The fifteen-ball hit her own solid blue two-ball at the exact right angle to propel it straight into the right corner pocket.

"Shit!" Mia exclaimed with awe in her voice.

Emma smirked. "You underestimated me. You have a habit of doing that."

Mia looked a little sheepish. "Where'd you learn to play?"

Emma glanced up at her as she lined up her next shot. "Henry's dad taught me. You?"

"In my last foster home in Boston. My foster brother was supposed to watch me after school. He was sixteen and he was a busboy in this bar grill place that had pool tables." Mia shrugged. "I spent a lot of time there."

"You're good," Emma told her. "But I'm good, too. You had no idea what you were up against when you agreed to play me. You were at a disadvantage since I saw you play."

"You played me," Mia accused…but she didn't sound mad. She had actually adopted a grudgingly respectful tone.

"What? Like you played that boy?"

Apparently Mia didn't have anything to say to that because she got quiet. It looked like she was resigning herself to losing…and honoring the bet they made.

Emma cleared her remaining solid balls easily…it was just the eight-ball left. "Eight-ball, left corner pocket."

There wasn't a clear path for the cue ball to the eight-ball. The only way to make the shot was to use one of Mia's balls again. Emma took her time aiming carefully. She did not want to lose control of the table…Mia _was_ good…and this wasn't a bet Emma was willing to lose. It wasn't just money…it was the girl's life on the line.

Emma took a deep breath and took the shot. She didn't exhale until the eight-ball was safely in the left corner pocket.

Emma looked Mia straight in the eye. "Now we talk."

Mia looked like she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. "Okay, fine…just…not here?"

Emma nodded. "When we get home. Let's go find Henry."

"Was Henry's dad a hustler?" Mia asked curiously.

"Yeah, he was."

"And you…were you a hustler?"

"I think I still am…or did I not just beat you?"

Henry was parked in front of Space Invaders, staring intently at the screen. It struck Emma again how much Mia looked like Henry…they had nearly identical facial expressions when they were concentrating hard.

Henry finally acknowledged them when his game ended. "Who won?"

Emma gave him a look. "Really? You have to ask?"

"My mom always wins at pool," Henry explained to Mia.

"Thanks for the warning," Mia said sarcastically.

"Sorry…I thought you might actually win. You're really good."

 **Author's Note:** Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. In answer to a question, there will be at least 2, maybe 3 more chapters before Emma learns the truth. Someone had asked for them to have more time to get acquainted before going to Storybrooke. Emma learning the truth is going to be connected to her getting her memories back so…what do you guys want to see…more time in New York or are you ready for them to go to Storybrooke?


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** For anyone who already read this chapter and got a new notification, I apologize...the only thing that changed is this author's note. At one reviewer's suggestion, I wanted to add a little bit of a warning for the content in this chapter. There's a lot of Emma & Mia with Mia opening up about what happened between Trey Gilbert (Mia's foster father) and Mia. He sexually abused her. I didn't go into graphic detail and I've seen similar mentions of this type of abuse in other stories with this rating, but if that content will bother you, you might want to skip this chapter. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

 **Chapter 5**

"Avery's dad is taking him to see Divergent and he wants to know if I can come," Henry called from in front of the computer.

Emma tried to remember the storyline for that one. "Yeah, okay. What time?"

"Now…he messaged me while we were at Dave and Busters."

"Call Avery and make sure they haven't left yet. If they haven't, I'll walk you."

"Walk me?" Henry repeated. "Avery lives three floors down…"

Emma didn't want her son wandering around alone in their building since her creepy stalker had managed to get into the building twice already. "Then it'll be a fast walk."

Henry turned to Mia. "Do you want to come?"

Mia looked a little uncomfortable. "Uh, no, that's okay…it's your friend."

"Mia and I can watch a chick flick while you're gone," Emma told her son. It looked like he was going to try to convince Mia to go…and Emma needed to talk to the girl without an audience. "Go…call Avery."

* * *

Emma was happy to see Mia sitting on the couch watching TV when she got back from walking Henry down to Avery's apartment. She'd only been gone for five minutes tops, but it had been the first time she'd left Mia alone in the apartment…and Mia was still there.

Emma grabbed the remote control and muted the TV. She sat down next to Mia on the couch and turned to the girl. "You ready to talk now?"

"I don't have a choice…do I?" Mia said in a resigned tone.

"You agreed to the terms of the bet. Are you going to go back on your word?"

"No," Mia said a little huffily.

Emma waited several seconds, but Mia didn't say anything. "You promised me answers about what Trey did to you…"

"Yeah, _answers_. You haven't asked me any questions yet."

Emma gave her a look. She wasn't surprised by the attitude…she knew Mia really did not want to have this conversation. If that was how the girl wanted to play it… "Okay, smartass…this morning when I asked if Trey hurt you-"

"You didn't ask," Mia interjected. "You _told_ me he hurt me."

Emma was a little taken aback by that and tried to remember what she had said. "I said I was guessing he did…and I still think he did something to you. You haven't taken your jacket off since you got here…"

"I'm cold," Mia lied.

"I'm pretty good at pool, but there are a few things I'm better at, and one of them is knowing when anyone is lying…and you are," Emma said with a knowing expression.

Mia reluctantly shrugged off the black bomber jacket. She balled the jacket up in her lap and clutched it like a safety blanket.

Emma eyed the dark purple fingerprints on Mia's otherwise pale wrist. Someone had wrapped their hand around the girl's tiny wrist and held it tightly enough to bruise…to drag her somewhere she didn't want to go or hold her in place when she was trying to get away…but if that was the case, what was the girl trying to get away from? That was the main question that Emma wanted to get an answer to.

"Did Trey do that?" Emma prompted.

Mia nodded stiffly.

Emma winced sympathetically. "It looks like it hurt."

"I tried to push him away…that's the only reason he grabbed me like that," Mia explained. It almost sounded like she was defending him.

"Why?"

Mia stared blankly.

"You said you tried to push him away. Why? What was he doing to you?"

"He wasn't hitting me," Mia said quickly. "He's not what you think he is. He was nice to me. He was interested in my life. He actually spent time with me. Dawn works nights so most nights it was just Trey and me for dinner. He even took me out to dinner part of the time. We watched TV or movies together after dinner."

Emma felt like she was waiting for the punch line because that wasn't it…it couldn't be. She'd seen the police report from the night Trey was arrested for domestic violence and she could see at least one bruise on the girl that had been living with him. She knew there might be more bruises covered by the girl's thin cotton t-shirt or jeans…she knew from firsthand experience where abusive foster parents left bruises.

Mia took a deep breath before continuing. "When we were watching TV, Trey rubbed my shoulders and back. Sometimes he tickled me. He was just…always touching me. I didn't think it was weird." She sighed almost wistfully. "I thought maybe that was what it was like to have a dad…and I just didn't know because I don't have parents."

Emma's heart clenched. She understood mistaking any kindness or affection from a foster parent as…well, parental. All kids like Mia – like her - wanted parents more than anything. But this wasn't just another foster parent who let the girl down - Trey had clearly done something to her…something bad.

Mia looked at Emma for the first time since she started talking. Emma could see fear in the girl's hazel eyes…eyes that reminded her so much of her son's eyes. The girl was scared shitless. "You said you wouldn't call the cops on me…but what about on Trey?"

"I know how hard it is for you to trust me when you've only known people that have let you down. I promise I won't do anything that will hurt you," Emma said carefully.

Mia scoffed. "That's such a cop out."

Emma sighed. "Wasn't part of the deal that you'd give me a chance?"

Mia chewed on her lower lip as she considered. After several seconds, she nodded hesitantly. "One night…he, um, walked in on me when I was changing. I thought it was a mistake, but it wasn't. He, um…he touched me. I told him it hurt, but he didn't care…he forced me to do things…things I didn't want to do." Her voice cracked. It sounded like she was near tears, but she was trying not to cry.

Emma felt like she couldn't breathe. She knew Trey was violent. She expected bruises and scars…not this - this was almost worse. "That's when you tried to push him away?"

"No." Mia looked down. Her cheeks were flushed. Emma didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment…or maybe both. "It wasn't a one-time thing…he kept coming into my room at night after that."

"How long has this been going on? Emma asked grimly.

"I don't know…a couple months?"

"What happened the night you got this?" Emma brushed her fingers gently over the bruise on the girl's thin wrist and then took the girl's hand in her own and squeezed lightly.

"He touched me, but he always stopped before…he never actually raped me," Mia choked out. "I think he was going to the night he was arrested. He was acting different. I think he was drunk? I don't know…something wasn't right. I tried to push him away, but he grabbed me and held me down."

"Did he rape you?" Emma asked through clenched teeth…she felt like she had to ask even though she didn't really want to know the answer. She felt like she was going to be sick…she could only imagine how Mia felt.

"No…Dawn came home early. She never liked me, but I guess she saved me. She walked in on us. She was really mad. She said she knew he was messing around with me. She threw something at him- I didn't see what it was, but it didn't hit him. He threw her into the wall and hit her. They were both yelling. I guess a neighbor heard…I don't know - someone must have called the cops. When they showed up, I got dressed and went out the window."

"You didn't tell anyone?"

"I just knew if I told anyone what happened, it would go in my file. I'm almost thirteen. No one wants a teenager…especially not one that's damaged goods…"

Mia wasn't wrong. Emma knew any abuse or trauma would go in the girl's file with Social Services…and it would make it even harder to find a family to take her in - as if it weren't hard enough already. As kids got older, their chances of getting adopted went downhill fast. Emma had been a little older than Mia was now when she realized she was never going to find a family…and that had been without any history of sexual abuse in her record. This poor kid…no wonder she didn't trust anyone. Bet or no bet, it meant a lot that Mia was actually trusting Emma with this.

"I get it." Emma only realized how that would sound after she said it. "I'm not saying that I understand how you feel…I don't. What Trey did to you is worse than anything I went through when I was in the system. But I get what it's like to be an older kid in your situation. And I know how it feels when everyone thinks they know you because they've seen your file."

"It sucks," Mia said bluntly.

* * *

Mia just stared at Emma when the woman said she got it. Okay, maybe the woman understood what it was like in the system, but Mia didn't think anyone could really understand how she felt about Trey…she didn't even really understand it herself. Her emotions were very conflicting.

There was a part of her that still felt like Trey was the closest thing she'd ever had to a dad. None of her other foster fathers had ever wanted to spend time with her. It had always just felt like she was in the way in other homes…never wanted, only tolerated because she came attached with a government check. She had some good memories of Trey from before he started hurting her. He had taken her out for pizza to celebrate when her drawing won a ribbon at the school art show. He even got her a Christmas gift…one of few she'd ever received. There was another part of her that was terrified of him. In the back of her mind, she wondered what she had done wrong to make him turn on her…

"I'm not saying that I understand how you feel…I don't," Emma said quickly. "What Trey did to you is worse than anything I went through when I was in the system. But I get what it's like to be an older kid in your situation. And I know how it feels when everyone thinks they know you because they've seen your file."

"It sucks."

"Yeah, it does. But here's the thing…the domestic violence charge is Trey's first offense. He won't do a lot of time for that - and that's if he does any time at all. If you tell the cops what he did to you, he'll go to prison for a long time…maybe even the rest of his life. But you're right…it won't just go in his record…it'll go in yours, too. Ultimately, the choice is yours."

Mia felt like she couldn't breathe…for a second there it had sounded like Emma was going to make her tell. She shook her head. "I can't…"

"That's okay…you don't have to," Emma said gently.

"But you think I should." Since when did Mia even care what Emma thought?

Emma sighed. "I think you deserve justice…and Trey deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison…"

"And I deserve a one-way ticket to a group home?" Mia said bitterly.

"No. You don't deserve any of this."

Mia didn't know about that. "Maybe I do. I _liked_ spending time with him…I don't know…maybe he thought I wanted it?"

"You liked spending time with him because you want a dad – all kids in your situation do…I did. But he's not your dad. He's a sick bastard. I'm going to find your birth father." Emma sounded angry, but Mia could tell it wasn't with her…it was with Trey.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Mia wondered. She expected Emma to react like Dawn had…and Dawn had seemed to think Mia was every bit as much to blame as Trey.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Mia shrugged. "Dawn was mad at me."

"Dawn was wrong." Emma's voice had hardened. "None of this is your fault. It's Trey's fault…and the system's to blame for placing you with someone like that. You should never have been in that house. There's something I don't understand though…why did you go back there after that?"

"I was in a hurry to leave before the cops saw me and I left without my backpack. I had to go back to get it. Dawn was leaving with a suitcase. She was pretty banged up so I figured the cops would have arrested Trey. I had the house to myself…it was a hell of a lot better than another foster home or group home."

"But Trey came back?"

Mia nodded. "To get his stuff… he said Dawn told the cops a bunch of lies and he had to get out of there." A horrible thought occurred to Mia. She looked at Emma with wide eyes. "Do you think Dawn told them?"

"She didn't say anything about what he did to you. It would have been in the police report and it wasn't."

"Oh…you've seen the police report?"

"It was in the file I got on Trey when he skipped bail," Emma explained.

"Can I see it?"

Emma considered for a few seconds before retrieving the file and sliding the police report over to her. It had the officer's name, statements from Dawn and Trey, a description of Dawn's injuries, and a note on Trey's arrest. There was no mention of her anywhere in the report. She handed it back to the woman.

Emma gave her a wry smile. "See? I wasn't lying."

"That's not why I wanted to see it," Mia said quickly.

"Oh?" Emma sounded more amused than annoyed.

Mia sighed. "It's not you. I don't trust anyone. I'm trying to give you a chance…I wouldn't have told you any of that if I wasn't. I would've just told you he grabbed my wrist and that's it."

* * *

After they exhausted the subject of Trey, Emma let Mia pick a movie to watch on Netflix. The girl fell asleep on the couch shortly after it started. She was curled up in the fetal position. Emma unfolded the soft fleece throw blanket draped over the back of the couch and carefully covered the girl.

There wasn't anything more she could do to find Mia's birth parents over the weekend. She would go back to the Gilberts' house sometime before Monday to see if she could find Mia's medical records anywhere. If she couldn't find them or couldn't find anything to narrow down her search in the girl's medical records, Emma would start making calls to Boston hospitals on Monday. She would need to talk to administrative staff in record keeping, and she didn't think they would be working weekends. She had a few other ideas if the hospitals ended up being a dead end, but they would also have to wait until Monday.

Emma could look for Trey over the weekend though. She would be happy to be the one to put him back in jail where he belonged…she just wished there was a way for him to go away for what he did to Mia without hurting the girl. It wasn't just that the molestation would go in her file with Social Services…it was also that there would be a trial if Trey were prosecuted. As reluctant as Mia had been to tell _her_ what happened, Emma didn't know how the girl would get through a trial with a defense attorney grilling her and the judge and jury listening in. A trial would be really hard on her. She didn't think that had even occurred to Mia, but it had occurred to Emma.

Emma opened her laptop and started checking popular social media sites to see if Trey Gilbert had accounts, and, if he did, if there was any recent activity. She was scrolling through his Facebook when Mia cried out in her sleep.

Emma looked over at the girl. She was still sleeping, but she was no longer in the fetal position. She had managed to kick the blanket off of her as she struggled with an unseen attacker. It wasn't hard to guess Trey was featured heavily in her nightmare.

The memories of everything he did would have been fresh in the girl's mind when she fell asleep. Maybe Emma shouldn't have pushed her for answers. She thought she'd be able to help her, but she didn't know how to help her with this…or if she even could. The girl cried out again, even more desperately.

"Mia!" Emma called out tentatively.

The girl stilled, but started talking almost frantically in her sleep. Most of the mumbled words were incoherent, but Emma managed to make out a distinct no and a distressed plea. Her heart clenched.

"Mia!" Emma tried again.

Emma didn't know if touching the girl was a good idea considering what she was dreaming about, but she couldn't think of any other way to wake her. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder and shook gently. "Mia?"

Mia's eyes flew open at her touch. The girl shot bolt upright, breathing heavily.

"Hey, it's alright…you're okay. It's just me," Emma said gently.

"Emma," Mia breathed.

Emma let out a relieved sigh. "Yeah."

Mia crossed her thin arms loosely in front of her stomach like she was trying to hug herself. Emma put a comforting arm around the girl's thin shoulders. It had been instinctive, and as soon as her brain caught up with her, she half-expected the girl to shrug her off. To her surprise, Mia didn't…she stiffened for a fraction of a second and then relaxed into Emma's arm.

"Sorry," Mia muttered.

"I'm the one that should apologize. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed you for answers…it just dredged all of that up for you," Emma said.

"No, it's not your fault. It's…not the first time I've had that nightmare."

"I think I know where Trey's hiding. I'm going after him tomorrow. He'll be back in jail without bail. No one will bond him out again." Emma hoped it would help to know that.

"I don't want to talk about him anymore." Mia disengaged from Emma's arm.

"Are you still tired?" Emma asked.

Mia shook her head. "I don't want to go back to sleep right now. I just want to watch the movie."

Emma handed the girl the remote control in case she wanted to restart the movie and then went into the kitchen. She returned with two bowls of ice cream and set one down on the coffee table in front of Mia.

Mia raised her eyebrows. "Rocky Road?"

"It's just ice cream. It's not symbolic."

Mia gave her a small smile and dug in.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading and reviewing! This chapter's a little bit longer and there's a lot going on in it.

 **Chapter 6**

Emma had just barely woken up and started breakfast when Mia padded out of the master bedroom. The girl was still wearing Emma's Yankees sweatshirt and black yoga pants…the clothes Emma had given her to sleep in the night before. The sweatshirt came down to mid-thigh on the little girl and the yoga pants dragged on the wood floor as she trudged into the kitchen.

There were dark circles under the girl's eyes that told Emma it had been a restless night. With how quickly she had appeared after the first sign of life came from the common area, Emma wondered if Mia had already been awake and was just waiting for her to wake up so she could come out. She wondered how long the girl had been awake…and if a nightmare – a nightmare about Trey - had woken her up.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" Emma tried to sound casual.

"Fine," Mia mumbled tiredly. She was lying…Emma didn't even need her superpower to know she was lying, but before she could call her on it, Mia moved to the stove. "Can I help?"

Emma winced. "Careful, that's-"

"Hot?" Mia sounded amused. "I know…I'm almost thirteen, not three. I know how to cook."

"Really? Because Henry almost burned the apartment down trying to bake a cake for my birthday..."

Mia shrugged. "I made breakfast for everyone in one of my foster homes."

Emma watched carefully as the girl expertly tended the bacon in the frying pan and nodded sadly. She wondered if it had been one of the foster homes where the parents only became foster parents to use a foster kid as their personal slave. She'd had a few foster homes like that when she was in the system.

"You don't have to do that," Emma told her quietly.

"I want to," Mia insisted.

"Any reason why?"

Mia looked away. "You've been nice to me. I just want to…I don't know…do something…"

It was the first time - the only time – the girl had acted like she really appreciated anything Emma was doing. But that wasn't why Emma was doing it…she was doing it because it was the right thing to do…and because she wanted to help the orphan that reminded her a little – okay, maybe _a lot_ \- of herself at that age. She didn't want Mia to feel like she owed her…that was the last thing she wanted.

"To pay me back? That's really not necessary. And besides I haven't done anything yet."

"You've done more than anyone else would have." The girl was staring at the frying pan like it was the most interesting thing in the world so she wouldn't have to look at Emma.

Emma gave up on trying to catch Mia's eye. "I haven't found your parents yet."

"Do you guys always have a big breakfast like this?" Mia changed the subject as she took the frying pan off the stove and turned away.

"You don't?" Emma turned the question around.

Mia scoffed. "No."

"It smells good. Is that bacon?" Henry asked as he emerged from his room.

"It sure is. Eggs and bacon," Emma replied as she fixed a plate for her son.

As Emma poured three mugs of hot cocoa, Henry got the cinnamon out of the cupboard and set it in the middle of the table.

"So I have to follow a lead for a case today," Emma said as they all sat down.

Henry looked up from his plate. "On a Sunday?"

"Yeah. I'll only be a few hours. Just do your homework before you try to beat level twenty-four of Diablo, okay?"

Henry nodded and went back to his breakfast.

Emma eyed her son suspiciously. He had agreed too easily. Ordinarily he would've begged off his homework until Sunday night. It was only Sunday morning. He was smart, but he wasn't exactly the most studious kid.

Henry must have felt her eyes on him. "Homework before Diablo," he mumbled dutifully.

"And Mortal Kombat," Emma added with a glance at Mia. It was the game the two of them had been playing together on-and-off again.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Homework before video games. Happy now?"

"I am actually," Emma said with a thin smile.

* * *

Henry slammed his textbook shut the second Emma left. "She's gone!"

Mia glanced up from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. She was on the last chapter of the borrowed book.

Henry put his pea coat and scarf on and then got Mia's jacket for her. "Come on, we're going out."

Mia blinked. "We are?"

Henry nodded. "Mmm-hmm."

Mia shrugged her jacket on even though she was almost positive Emma did not want them to go anywhere. "Where are we going?"

"To see Walsh," Henry replied matter-of-factly.

Mia froze. "Why are we going to see your mom's boyfriend?"

"He needs our help."

"He doesn't even know me."

"Okay, he needs _my_ help. My mom's not the easiest person to propose to, you know."

Mia hesitated. "I don't know…I mean, it's your mom's boyfriend…if he says anything to your mom…"

"He won't. I'm going to give him intel on my mom. He'll owe me…us."

Mia bit her lower lip uncertainly. "Look, no one understands wanting a dad more than me-"

"It's not that," Henry interjected. "I mean, I do…want a dad, but Walsh isn't my dad…I know that. I don't want him to marry my mom so he'll be my stepdad. I want him to marry my mom because he makes her happy."

Mia sighed. "What's the plan?"

Henry didn't actually have a plan. He was just worried Walsh might have changed his mind about proposing when Emma blew him off. He wanted Walsh to know why Emma cancelled…and that it wasn't him. He had pulled up the address for Walsh's furniture shop on the computer. It was too far to walk to so they headed to the subway station.

Mia would have hopped the turnstile, but Henry insisted on buying a MetroCard for each of them. When he handed her one of the MetroCards, their hands brushed against each other and Mia felt a weird sensation…almost like an electric current. Whatever it was, it made her freeze for a second.

Henry must have felt it, too, because he stared at his hand and then looked at her. "What was that?"

"I don't know…static electricity?" Mia said uncertainly.

Henry seemed to accept that explanation as logical because he moved on – or more accurately back to their previous topic. "Would you really have hopped the turnstile?"

Mia shrugged. "I've done it before."

Henry scrunched his face up. "Isn't that like stealing?"

"Are you going to turn me in?" Mia said casually.

Henry seemed startled by the question. "No!"

It turned out to be a good thing Mia was with Henry because he had no clue they needed to change lines. With a little help from Mia, they got off at the right stop and Henry took over navigating by plugging the address for Walsh's furniture shop into the map app on his phone.

Mia stared at the high-end storefront. "This is _his_ store…as in he owns it?"

Henry merely nodded.

"How old is he?" Mia didn't know how old Emma was, but the woman didn't _look_ that old. She had a hard time picturing Emma with a crusty old businessman.

"I don't know…I think he's my mom's age so early thirties?"

Mia did the math. "So your mom had you when she was, what, eighteen or nineteen?"

"Eighteen," Henry said.

Mia swallowed back jealousy that Emma was a teenage mother and kept Henry when her own mom had given her away like she was nothing. Okay, maybe Mia didn't actually know if her mom was young when she had her, but a teenage mother seemed like the most likely suspect for giving a baby away. Mia had always imagined her mom as Juno after she saw the movie on cable…except Juno actually made sure her baby had good home…and _her_ mom hadn't even bothered to do that. It was so unfair.

* * *

Emma's first stop was the Gilberts' house in Bushwick. She drove through the part of town that was starting to gentrify and had attracted an influx of young hipsters and into the part that…well, wasn't gentrified yet. It was the part of town the Gilberts' house was located in. There were bars on the windows of convenience stores and industrial buildings were tagged with gang graffiti. She couldn't help but imagine Mia walking the streets alone at night in a neighborhood she wouldn't have wanted her son anywhere near…not even in broad daylight.

Blinds were shut tight on the neighbors' houses and the street was quiet. Emma got the feeling most of the inhabitants of the neighborhood had yet to do anything productive that day. It wasn't quite 10:30 am on Sunday morning. She walked up to the Gilberts' front door and let herself in.

The inside of the house looked exactly the same as it had on Friday. Nothing had been moved. No one had been there since she and Mia left.

Emma revisited the spare room that had been Mia's bedroom for nearly a year. She looked in the closet to see if the girl had left anything behind that she might want. There were a few shirts hanging in the closet that Emma folded to take with her. The color had faded over the years and one t-shirt had a hole in it, but they were Mia's and the girl would want _her_ stuff. Kids in the system didn't have much to begin with…and what they did have, they were fiercely protective of.

Emma would have to figure out clothes for the girl if she didn't find Mia's birth parents soon. The thin black bomber jacket Mia was always wearing didn't look very warm, and they were having an unusually cold March. But with how Mia had acted whenever she tried to pay for anything for her, Emma did not think the girl would accept new clothes without a fight. Mia did not want to feel like she owed Emma anything…that was obviously the reason for the sudden interest in helping with breakfast…it was her way of paying Emma back.

Once Mia's closet was cleaned out, Emma moved on to the hall closet. Just as Mia had said, there were bins and unopened cardboard boxes in it. One of the plastic bins had several file folders in it. None of them were labeled so Emma had to look through all of them. There were some things in there that might have been more interesting if she hadn't already found Trey using social media. Still, she would take them in case her lead didn't pan out.

The only thing Emma was really looking for now was Mia's medical records. She found what she was looking for in a thick folder that was a slightly different shade of manila than the other folders. Since it wasn't the same type of folder as the others, Emma thought it had probably come from Social Services.

There was a copy of the girl's vaccination record at the front of the folder. Emma recognized the same shot Henry had received before starting the seventh grade at the top…the meningitis vaccine that was required for that age group in New York. She flipped through to the very back of the folder to see how far back the records went. There wasn't a record of birth – or if there was, the records weren't in order - but there were records from the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Phoenix Children's Hospital so the records went back far enough… Wait, Phoenix? Emma blinked and double-checked that she hadn't read that wrong…it was there in black-and-white - Phoenix Children's Hospital. But that didn't make sense. Mia said she was born in Boston, and she wasn't lying. Emma would have known if she had been…wouldn't she have?

Emma's superpower had been wrong before…usually with men. She was the first to admit she'd been wrong about Neal. She didn't think Mia would have lied though…not about this. The girl had given her last name without her even having to ask because she _wanted_ to find her parents…all orphans did. A fake birthplace would only make it harder for Emma to find them. She'd talk to Mia again, but she truly believed Mia had been telling the truth…or at least what the girl believed was the truth.

Was it possible Mia didn't know where she was born? If the girl had changed hands across state lines – hell, all the way across the country – and no one had told her, then yeah…it was possible. To this day, Emma only knew where she was _found_ , not where she was actually _born_ \- and that was because she'd been abandoned on the side of the road and it made the local newspaper. She had checked all of the hospitals in the surrounding area and not one of them had a record of her birth.

Emma left the Gilberts' house with more questions than answers. She had what she came there for…Mia's medical records, but instead of narrowing her search down to just one hospital in Boston, now she had to expand her search to Phoenix. She didn't know where Mia was really born, and she didn't think Mia did either.

* * *

"Henry! What brings you here? And who's your friend?"

Mia eyed Emma's boyfriend warily and wondered how Henry would explain her.

"This is Mia. She's…a family friend." Mia smirked slightly…he didn't know how to explain her. She couldn't really blame him…she was the foster daughter of the guy Henry's mom was trying to find.

"She's staying with us for a little while. That's why my mom cancelled on you on Friday." Henry tried to explain.

"Sorry," Mia muttered, feeling uncomfortable.

Walsh smiled. "It wasn't the first time she cancelled on me, and it won't be the last."

"Did you reschedule?" Henry asked anxiously.

"Not yet. She's been busy with a case." It came out as more of a question than an answer…like Walsh was wondering if Emma was _really_ busy with a case or if that was just an excuse.

Henry nodded. "She's working today, and she never works on Sundays."

"If she were at home, you wouldn't be here…at least not without her," Walsh said with a knowing expression.

Henry flushed. "Don't tell my mom. Please. She thinks I'm at home doing homework."

"I won't," Walsh decided after a second. "But I'll take you home. Your mom would kill me if she found out I let you ride the subway home alone."

"I won't be alone. I'll be with Mia," Henry said cheekily.

"Your mom would still kill me," Walsh said.

"No, she wouldn't. She likes you too much. You're the first guy she's dated that I've met," Henry said earnestly.

"I love her. And you...you know that, right?" Walsh seemed perfect…almost too perfect…or maybe Mia was just so screwed up from Trey that she didn't think any guy could actually be nice.

"I know. That's why you _have_ to reschedule your special night out…next weekend. I'll even arrange to sleep over at Avery's so the two of you can be alone," Henry offered with a grin.

Mia stared at the floor. Emma and her boyfriend would be alone because she would be gone by then. Emma was nice, but this wasn't permanent…it was just temporary…until Emma found her parents, however long that would take.

Mia wondered where she would be next weekend…a new foster home or somewhere else. She wouldn't let herself think she would be with her birth parents. She wouldn't get her hopes up, only to be let down by the same people who had given her away almost thirteen years ago. Emma had said a lot could change in thirteen years…but maybe Mia was the only thing that had changed. She wasn't a sweet and innocent baby anymore. She was definitely not innocent. Why would they want her now if they hadn't wanted her then?

* * *

Trey's younger brother's apartment wasn't too far from Trey's house. It was in the gentrified part of town. There were hipster bars and restaurants mixed in with apartments and townhomes. Ryan Gilbert was in his mid-thirties and still enjoyed an active nightlife if his social media was any indication. It was actually a picture he posted on social media of him and his brother out at a bar that brought Emma there. It was still early enough that she was able to find a parking spot on the normally crowded street.

Emma had her handcuffs, mace and gun. She almost never used the gun, but she always carried it when she was going after a violent criminal. Despite the old bounty hunter saying "bring them back dead or alive," it wasn't actually legal to bring a fugitive back dead. And she didn't get paid on delivery of a corpse…only a fugitive that was alive - and often kicking. Fugitives weren't generally excited about going back to jail.

The handcuffs were in the back pocket of her jeans and the mace and Glock were tucked in the waistband. The V-neck shirt she was wearing was long enough to hide her arsenal, but showed enough cleavage that she didn't anticipate difficulty getting invited into the apartment.

Emma tailed someone who lived in the building and was heading in with a takeaway cup of coffee. She made her way up the stairs to Ryan Gilbert's apartment number and rapped on the door lightly.

A younger, slightly better looking version of Trey opened the door. Ryan Gilbert was wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts. He looked like he'd had an eventful night and was paying for it this morning. Tired, bloodshot eyes went straight to Emma's chest. She forced herself to keep her expression friendly enough.

"Is Trey here?" Emma asked.

Ryan didn't appear too surprised that a strange woman who wasn't Trey's wife was asking for him. He opened the door wider to let her in and looked over his shoulder to where Trey was camped out on the couch. "Trey!"

Emma could see the confusion on Trey's face as he tried to place her and drew a blank. She decided to play with him a little and pretended to be offended. "You don't remember me?"

"How could I forget you?"

Emma wanted to laugh at that line, but didn't. "Can we talk…alone?" She kept her voice soft and darted a not-so-subtle glance at Ryan.

That was all she had to say. Ryan excused himself, clearly not wanting to cock-block his brother. There would be none of that, but she didn't want to be outnumbered if it got physical…and it _would_ get physical. It would be worth the extra paperwork to punch Trey in the face. He deserved it.

Emma strode over to Trey. She managed to slap the cuffs on him before he had processed what was happening. He was hung over and that made him slow.

Trey stared at the metal on his wrists. "I didn't know you were into S&M."

Oh, _gross_ … "I'm not. I'm a bail bondsperson."

Trey was wide-awake now. "What the hell?"

"You hit your wife, got arrested, and skipped bail. It's my job to bring you back to jail."

Trey's face turned red. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"If you don't want to walk out of here like a man, I'm more than happy to drag your ass out of here."

"I'd love to see you try," Trey challenged. The laughter in his voice only pissed her off.

Emma managed to maneuver him into an upright position even though he was bigger than her, but only because he let her. As soon as he was standing up, he lunged at her with his head down. She sidestepped him and he ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Trey Gilbert was furious. He was swearing and screaming as he struggled to stand up with limited use of his cuffed hands and no help whatsoever from Emma. He eventually got up off the floor and staggered toward her in a blind rage.

Emma sprayed mace directly in his face and then backed away quickly. He blinked rapidly and tears streamed down his red face. "You bitch!"

"I'm the bitch? You're the one who's going to be someone's bitch in prison. Are you ready for that…for someone to do what you did to Mia to you?"

Trey froze at Mia's name. "She talked?"

Emma didn't bother to correct him. With any luck, the idiot would confess because he thought the cops already knew exactly what he did. If he opened his big mouth, they'd be able to charge him for what he did to Mia without the girl having to tell the cops or testify. She assumed they would still want to talk to Mia, but their case against Trey wouldn't hinge on that if Mia still didn't want to talk. Emma hoped Mia's file wouldn't be an issue for her anymore, not after she found the girl's birth parents, but there was no guarantee there.

Trey renewed his struggle with a newfound strength. He had more reason than ever before to not go back to jail if Mia had talked. She hadn't, but he didn't know that.

They did a little dance around the cramped living room. Suddenly Trey shot all the way across the cluttered coffee table and head-butted her. His thick skull rammed straight into her jaw before she could move away. Shit, that hurt…she was sure it would leave a bruise…a big one.

They were both on the floor now, along with empty beer bottles that had been on the coffee table before Trey went crashing over it. The force of the head-butt knocked her over, and he went down with her. They rolled around on the floor, kicking and scratching.

Trey somehow managed to grab an empty beer bottle from the floor and break it. The handcuffs somewhat limited his range of motion, but apparently not enough. The broken glass bottle made a good weapon, but not as good as her gun.

Emma drew her Glock and aimed it at him.

"Don't shoot, you crazy bitch!"

With a gun pointed at his head, Trey suddenly became a lot more cooperative. He dropped his makeshift weapon. She kept her gun out and held it against his back as she frog-marched him out of there.

The cops were surprised when Emma pressed charges against Trey for assault. They knew her and knew she could take care of herself. She gave as good as she got.

Emma just wanted to make sure the bastard went away for as long as possible. She filed the report and let them photograph the bluish purple bruise that was already forming on the right side of her face.

Before she left the police station, Emma collected the body receipt that would prove she returned Trey Gilbert to police custody and entitle her to a check for fifteen percent of his bond.

* * *

"Are you any good at algebra?" Henry asked. He was trying to finish his homework before Emma got home.

"No…sorry." Mia offered him a sympathetic smile from over her book. She had finished The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and started the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian, which was also borrowed from Henry's extensive bookshelf.

"I hate math," Henry said with frustration in his voice.

"Me, too."

They stopped talking abruptly when they heard Emma's key in the door. Henry went back to his homework and was scrambling to answer one last question before his mom saw how little he'd done. Since his head was bowed down over his spiral notebook, Mia was the first to see Emma. She gasped.

Henry's head shot up. His eyes narrowed on Emma's bruise and he got up from his chair. "Mom! What- what happened?"

"What, this? It's nothing. You should see the other guy." Emma was trying a little too hard to sound casual. Neither kid bought it.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine, kid," Emma assured him. She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and studied the homework spread out on the table. "Probably better than you if you're doing math. Do you need help?"

"Actually, yeah," Henry admitted.

"Okay, I'm just going to clean up a little and then I'll help you."

Mia hesitated for a second and then followed the woman into the master bedroom. Emma must have heard her footsteps because she turned to her. Mia stood awkwardly just inside the doorway. It was the room she'd been sleeping in, but it wasn't her room…it was Emma's room.

"Did Trey do that?" Mia blurted out.

Emma nodded slowly, eyeing her carefully.

"Shit, I'm sorry!"

"For what? You didn't head-butt me." Emma's tone was surprisingly light.

"But you wouldn't have even gone after him today if it weren't for me. Henry said you never work on Sundays."

"I went after Trey because it's my job. I was going after him before I met you. He didn't want to go back to jail…he wouldn't have wanted to go back to jail whether it was today or tomorrow."

"Oh...I'm still sorry he hurt you," Mia said softly. And she still felt like it was her fault. They both had bruises from her foster father - a man she had been stupid enough to actually like - now.

"I'm not. Now he has two charges against him…domestic violence and assault." Emma really didn't seem upset. She actually seemed satisfied in a weird, grim sort of way that Mia didn't understand at all.

The word assault seemed extreme to Mia. It looked bad, but it was just a bruise…wasn't it? She stared at Emma in growing horror. "Assault? He didn't…do anything else to you, did he?"

Realization of what she was really asking dawned in Emma's eyes. "No. _Really_ …his hands were cuffed so he couldn't do much of anything."

Mia studied the woman carefully. She didn't think Emma was lying. Eventually she nodded.

"You were right. Your medical records were in the hall closet at the Gilberts' house. I found a record from when you were a baby. You were in a hospital in Phoenix. But I thought you were born in Boston?"

Mia scrunched up her face in confusion. "I was. I never lived in Phoenix. My first foster family was in Boston. I was with them for, like, two years. They even filed for adoption, but the mom got sick…I think it was cancer. I don't really remember though. I just remember she was in the hospital and I was back in foster care."

Emma nodded. "I'll look into it. When's your birthday?"

"August 15th…2011."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"You were right. Your medical records were in the hall closet at the Gilberts' house. I found a record from when you were a baby. You were in a hospital in Phoenix. But I thought you were born in Boston?" Emma watched Mia carefully to gauge the girl's reaction.

Mia screwed up her face in a way that reminded Emma of Henry when he was trying to figure out the answer to a tough math problem that just didn't compute in his brain. "I was. I never lived in Phoenix. My first foster family was in Boston. I was with them for, like, two years. They even filed for adoption, but the mom got sick…I think it was cancer. I don't really remember though. I just remember she was in the hospital and I was back in foster care."

Emma nodded in acceptance…the girl was telling the truth. "I'll look into it. When's your birthday?"

"August 15th…2011."

Emma stared at Mia in surprise. That was Henry's birthday. It wasn't that strange a coincidence on its own…Emma knew Henry wasn't the only kid born on August 15, 2011. But it was more than just the shared birthday…it was the shared birthday _and_ Phoenix _and_ the girl's last name – _Neal's_ last name. That right there was a hell of a lot of coincidences. What were the odds?

If she didn't know any better, Emma might think Mia and Henry were twins. They looked enough alike…their hair was the exact same shade of brown and their eyes were the same color hazel and the same almond shape. They even had similar facial expressions.

They couldn't be twins though. It wasn't possible. She didn't have twins…she had a son. She knew she didn't have any other kids, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something. It felt like she was trying to solve a puzzle with a key piece missing. She just didn't know what she was missing exactly.

She was reading too much into things. The girl's date of birth and the hospital record from Phoenix, even the girl's last name, were just coincidences - they had to be. They didn't mean anything. It was ridiculous and impossible to think they did even for a second. She pushed the crazy thought to the back of her mind and focused on the girl standing in front of her, looking like she felt extremely uncomfortable. It was only then that Emma realized how long she'd been staring, even if she'd been lost in thought for most of the time.

"Sorry. It's just…that's Henry's birthday."

"That's cool…?" Mia didn't seem to know what to say…or to think it was that big of a coincidence.

* * *

Everyone but Emma was asleep. She helped Henry with his math homework, made dinner, and played Mortal Kombat until it was time for bed - at least for the kids.

After they were in bed, Emma went through Mia's medical records carefully. She skimmed over the records from recent years since her focus was on where Mia was born. It didn't really help to know that the girl broke her arm when she was eleven or that she got stitches when she was seven.

There were _a lot_ of hospital records from when Mia was a newborn. It was clear she'd been sick as a baby from documentation of a two month long stay in Newborn Intensive Care at Phoenix Children's Hospital. What wasn't clear was why – at least not to Emma, who didn't have a medical degree and didn't understand the vast majority of the medical jargon filling the paperwork in front of her. She didn't think they would have moved a sick baby from Boston to Phoenix though so she ruled out Boston as Mia's place of birth.

The first call Emma made on Monday morning would be to Phoenix Children's Hospital. With any luck, they would have some kind of a record of the girl's birth – preferably one that included the names of the girl's birth parents.

Even though she knew there wasn't anything else she could do that night, Emma couldn't sleep. All of the many coincidences were still bothering her. She tried to tell herself that they were just that…coincidences, but every instinct she possessed was screaming that there was more to it than that.

Emma lay awake on the couch for hours. Every once in awhile she glanced at the clock and mentally calculated how much sleep she would get before her alarm went off if she fell asleep right that second.

A little before 3:00 am Emma gave up. She wasn't going to get any sleep that night. She threw back the blanket and got up from the couch. She went to check on Henry. He was sleeping on his side facing her. His mouth was open slightly and he was drooling on his pillow. If it were any other kid drooling, she would think it was gross, but it was different when it was _her_ kid. He must have started out hot because his comforter was folded back, but he looked cold now. There were goose bumps on his arms and they were wrapped around his stomach. Emma pulled the comforter over his sleeping form. He let out a soft sigh and burrowed into his pillow. She watched him sleep for a few seconds with a soft smile that was reserved for her son.

Next Emma went into her own room. Mia was asleep, but it was clear that the girl had been tossing and turning. The blankets were a tangled mess at her feet. The girl was wearing Emma's Yankees sweatshirt so she should have at least been warm even though she'd kicked the blankets off, but she shouldn't have been hot and there were beads of sweat on her pale forehead. She was talking in her sleep again. The mumbled words may have been unintelligible, but the girl's pained expression said more than enough. Emma was willing to bet Mia was having another nightmare - and she bet she knew what it was about.

"Mia?"

The girl startled awake at Emma's voice. She sat up slightly and looked around the room. It was like she was making sure the man haunting her dreams wasn't there. She seemed to relax slightly when she saw Emma, sagging against the headboard.

"Emma? What are you doing in here?" Mia sounded groggy and confused.

"You were talking in your sleep," Emma said instead of answering the girl's question.

"I was?" Mia's eyes widened. "What did I say?"

Emma surveyed the girl. "Enough to tell me you were having a nightmare. Was it about Trey?"

Mia wrapped her arms in front of her stomach like she was trying to hug herself and nodded. "Did I wake you up?"

"To do that, I'd actually have to be asleep."

A guilty expression flitted across Mia's face. "Do you want your bed back?"

Emma offered the girl a small, reassuring smile. "That's not why I can't sleep. You know Trey's in jail. He can't hurt you."

"I know…"

Emma sighed, not knowing what else to say to make the girl rest easier. "How about some cocoa?"

"Uh, sure…"

Mia followed Emma out to the kitchen. As Emma put a pan of milk on the stove, Mia took two mugs out of the cabinet. It surprised Emma that the girl knew exactly where the mugs were, but maybe it shouldn't have…Mia had been helping out in the kitchen for almost every meal. Emma measured out chocolate mix and poured the hot milk into the ceramic mugs. She added cinnamon without thinking…she was used to making cocoa for Henry and he liked cinnamon.

Mia didn't seem to mind. She took a sip and gave Emma a halfhearted smile. "Thanks."

Emma moved over to the couch with her mug and found an old episode of Friends on cable. She turned the volume down low so it wouldn't wake Henry. Mia joined her on the couch after only a moment's hesitation.

They watched in comfortable silence and nursed their drinks. After the first episode of Friends was over and a new one was about halfway through, Emma heard Mia's breathing even out and glanced over at her. The girl had fallen asleep with her head on the arm of the couch at an awkward angle and her knees drawn to her chest in a tight ball. The couch was comfortable, but that position didn't look one bit comfortable. Emma woke the girl up for the second time that night – or more accurately that morning since it was almost 4:00 am.

"Mia?"

"Mmm-hmm?" Mia murmured, sounding half-asleep.

"That doesn't look very comfortable. Let's get you in bed."

Mia just blinked at her through heavily lidded eyes.

"Come on, kid." Emma put a hand on Mia's shoulder and guided her up off the couch. She remembered a second too late how badly the girl had reacted to that form of address before, but it seemed like Mia was too tired to protest this time.

With a little help from Emma, Mia reluctantly got to her feet and trudged tiredly toward Emma's room. "G'night, Emma."

* * *

"Are you wearing that to school?" Henry asked with a confused frown…Mia was still wearing the clothes she'd been sleeping in - Emma's Yankees sweatshirt and black yoga pants.

"I'm not going to school…"

Henry glanced at Emma and lowered his voice. "My mom never lets me miss school. The one time I skipped I thought she was going to kill me."

Emma tilted her head to look at her son in exasperation. "Hey, I heard that! And that's a little dramatic, don't you think? If I remember correctly, I told you that you couldn't play video games until you got caught up on everything you missed at school. No one's ever died from video game deprivation."

"You took my phone."

Emma shot him a look. "That's because you were playing Subway Surfers on it instead of doing your homework."

"That might be true," Henry acknowledged a little sheepishly. "Are you really going to let Mia skip school?"

Emma glanced at Mia out of the corner of her eye. "Ah, kid, it's complicated."

"Complicated how?" Henry questioned.

Mia set her fork down with a little more force than necessary. "Because my social worker's looking for me."

"Oh…" Henry bit his lower lip as he processed that. "What happens if they find you?"

"Nothing good," Emma answered for Mia so the girl wouldn't have to try to explain.

"Maybe I should stay home…keep Mia company," Henry suggested with a hopeful look on his face.

"Nice try, kid," Emma said with a soft chuckle. She nodded toward his breakfast plate. "Are you almost done? You're going to be late for school."

Henry shoveled the last of his scrambled eggs in his mouth and then downed his cocoa. Emma rose from her chair and took his dirty dishes into the kitchen to load the dishwasher.

Henry started shoving notebooks and textbooks in his backpack. "Mom, do you have my permission slip? It's due today, and if I don't hand it in, I'll miss the museum trip next week."

Emma dried her hands and grabbed the signed permission slip from the top of a stack of paperwork on the kitchen counter. "Yeah, your permission slip is right here."

Henry stuffed the permission slip in his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. "I gotta go. See you, Mia. Love you, Mom."

"Love you, too," Emma told him.

Mia brought her own plate into the kitchen and started washing it by hand in the sink.

Emma turned to the girl. "So listen, I have to make some calls for work. I'm going to go downstairs to the business center. Will you be okay on your own for a little while?"

Mia stared at her. "I was living alone before you brought me here so yeah, I think I'll be okay."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Emma, but she was just glad the girl wasn't worried one of her calls would be to Social Services. It was just on Friday that Mia had been really worried about that. Sometime in the last two days and three nights, Mia had started to trust her, even if it was just a little.

"Right, dumb question," was all Emma said even though inside she was celebrating what felt like a major accomplishment.

Emma set Mia up in front of the TV with Netflix and then gathered up the file folder she'd started with all the records she'd found on Mia in the Gilberts' house and her own notes, her laptop, and her cell phone. She went down to the business center in the apartment. It was one of the amenities she rarely if ever used, but she didn't want Mia eavesdropping on the calls she was going to make.

 _If_ she found the girl's birth parents - and that was a big if, Emma wanted to talk to them first. She didn't want Mia overhearing their names and running off to find them on her own…not when she didn't know who they were or if they wanted anything to do with the daughter they gave up…she didn't want Mia getting hurt.

Emma knew the sting of rejection from all the times foster parents had sent her back when she was in the system. She didn't have to find her own parents to know it would be even worse if they were the ones rejecting her. She wasn't going to let Mia's parents do that to her - not if she could help it.

After spending the better part of the morning sitting on hold and being transferred to different departments, Emma finally got to an actual live person in record keeping at Phoenix Children's Hospital. The guy sounded young and over-eager. This was probably his first job out of college. She pretended to be Mia's social worker since they weren't going to give out personal information on the girl to just anyone. She explained that some of the girl's records were missing and she was trying to track down the original birth certificate. In other words, she told the poor guy a pack of lies.

Emma held her breath as she waited for the guy on the other end of the phone to respond. She knew from digging into her own past that there were rules about how much information could be shared on an adopted child. Even when _she_ was the child in question and it was _her_ birth certificate she was after, it had been really hard to get a copy of her original birth certificate. A new birth certificate had been issued when she was adopted. It had her correct birthday, but it had the city her adoptive parents lived in for place of birth and they were named as her parents – never mind the fact that they gave her back when she was three and they had their own kid. Emma had finally gotten a hold of her original birth certificate, but it was blank where the names of the mother and father should have been. She hoped it would be a little easier in Mia's case since the girl was never adopted, but she didn't exactly have high hopes.

Emma wasn't surprised when the guy finally came back on the line and told her that Mia Cassidy wasn't born in Phoenix Children's Hospital. But she was completely and utterly shocked when he said a Baby Girl Cassidy was transferred to Phoenix Children's Hospital from the Arizona State Prison Complex…the same prison she'd done eleven months in for Neal's crimes...and the same prison she was in when she had Henry.

Emma felt like the air was being squeezed from her lungs and she couldn't breathe. It took her several seconds to even manage a thank you to the guy on the other end of the phone.

She just sat there after the call ended. Forget all the other coincidences, this was just too big a coincidence. And none of the other women in the prison had even been pregnant – just her. It was kind of hard to hide a pregnancy in prison, even if it was minimum-security. She couldn't ignore this new piece of information or explain it away.

The thing was she remembered having Henry…she thought she would remember if she'd had twins. But the thought that they could be twins had crossed her mind before. Hell, it had been nagging at the back of her mind ever since she found out Mia and Henry had the same birthday. Now she turned the thought over in her mind, trying to wrap her head around it…it just didn't make sense. She couldn't reconcile it with everything she knew to be true. She _would_ remember if she had a daughter.

The two conversations she'd had with the guy who was stalking her came to mind...conversations where he insisted there were things that had happened that she _didn't_ remember. He had sure seemed to believe what he was saying. Maybe...just maybe it was actually true.

 _"Who are you?" Emma demanded the first time he showed up on her doorstep with crazy claims._

 _"An old friend. Look, I know you can't remember me, but…I can make you."_

 _He kissed her then, and she promptly kicked him in the groin and threatened to call the cops._

 _"Look, I know this seems crazy, but you have to listen to me…you have to remember."_

Emma slammed the door in his face, but he came back the night she brought Mia back to her apartment with her.

 _"I've come to apologize."_

 _Emma stared at him. "For trying to kiss me?"_

 _"I was simply trying to jog your memory."_

 _"It's time for you to go. Now."_

 _But he didn't leave. No, that would've been too easy. "Your parents are in great danger, Emma."_

 _What parents? She didn't have parents… "You really have no idea what you're talking about."_

 _"Because you think you're an orphan? Because that's haunted you your whole life? I'm here to tell you everything you believed is wrong."_

 _"You don't know me."_

 _"Alas, I know you better than you know yourself. I have proof. Take a gander." He handed her a slip of paper with an address written on it…as if that proved anything. "Here's an address. If you want to know who you really are…who your parents are, go there."_

 _"Leave. Now."_

 _"You've been there before…a year ago. You just don't remember."_

Emma had thought he was crazy at the time, but now she wasn't sure what to think. She had to know the truth if there was any chance at all that Mia could be her daughter, no matter how hard the truth might be to swallow.

* * *

Emma made it to Central Park on autopilot. She found the guy right where he said he'd be...by the zoo.

He looked really happy to see her. "Swan! I knew that'd work."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Knew _what_ would work?"

"The address I gave you. You went there…that's why you're here."

"Actually I didn't." Emma wondered if maybe she _should_ have just gone to the address instead of trying to talk to the crazy guy first.

The guy blinked in confusion. "You didn't? Then…why are you here?"

"You said some things happened that I don't remember..."

"There's _a lot_ you don't remember, love."

Emma's annoyance rose. She felt an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. He just seemed to have that effect on her.

"I can help you remember," he said quickly…apparently scenting danger.

"How? By kissing me?" Emma said in a tone of disbelief.

"No, with this." He offered her a glass vial filled with a strange dark liquid. "Drink it. It'll help you remember everything you have lost."

Emma didn't take it. "Drink the thing the crazy guy just offered me? No, thank you."

"It's the only way you'll get your memories back."

Emma eyed the dark liquid in the glass vial warily. She couldn't believe she was even considering drinking it. "What is it?"

"It's a memory potion."

"A potion?" Emma repeated. "Do you even know how crazy you sound?"

"I'm sure I sound like a mad man, but it's true. If you don't believe me at all, why did you come here? Because as much as you deny it, deep down you know something's wrong…deep down you know I'm right. If one small part of you senses that I'm right, don't you owe it to yourself to find out? Trust your gut, Swan…it will tell you what to do."

Emma gave him a speculative look at his choice of words. "Henry always says that…"

"If you won't listen to me, then listen to your boy."

After careful consideration, Emma took the glass vial from him. She took a deep breath and brought it to her lips, hoping she wasn't going to regret this. The guy was crazy…he could be a rapist or a murderer – or Captain Hook? She closed her eyes as her memories came rushing back to her. Yes, he was Captain Hook…and her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming - as insane as that was. She had twins…a boy and a girl. She gave them up for adoption…the Evil Queen adopted her son…he found her on her twenty-eighth birthday and brought her to Storybrooke, Maine. And her daughter was…Mia. Her daughter had been living in her apartment since Friday and she had no idea because of the damn curse and Regina's fake memories.

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! Some of the dialogue between Emma and Hook was taken directly from S3E12. I tried to keep Emma figuring out that Mia was her daughter as realistic as possible considering she didn't remember having a daughter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So there's, uh, something you should know…something I didn't even know until I drank that potion," Emma started a little awkwardly.

Hook glanced at her. "What's that?"

"I have a daughter."

Hook froze, looking caught off guard. "Well, that's unexpected. I suppose congratulations are in order," he said through gritted teeth. "Who's the father?"

"Neal. She's Henry's twin. The girl you saw in my apartment? That was her…only I didn't know that then."

Understanding flashed in Hook's eyes and the jealousy instantly deflated. "The memories Regina gave you…they were only of Henry."

"They weren't real," Emma said with frustration in her voice. "But to Henry, they _are_. They're the only memories he has right now and they're good. And now I have to figure out how to explain this to him…to them. I don't know how to do this. How do I tell Mia she's my daughter…she's Henry's twin and I gave her up when Henry thinks I raised him?"

"You mean she doesn't know?"

"How could she when _I_ didn't even know until two minutes ago?"

"Well, I assumed she found you…"

"She didn't. I…kind of found her. She's in foster care. She was living with my last case. I thought I could help her. I've been trying to find her birth parents," Emma explained.

"And now it seems you have."

"Yeah, but I can't tell her. You don't understand. As bad as it was to know my parents gave me up, it would have been even worse to think they gave me up and kept another kid…and that's what she'll think if I tell her before Henry gets his memories back."

"Alas, I could only scavenge together enough for one dose of memory potion," Hook said apologetically.

"So he won't get his memories back until I break the curse," Emma said in a resigned tone. "Do you have any idea who cursed everyone…again?"

"Someone powerful enough to reach into this world," was all Hook offered.

"Any more specific ideas?"

"Alas, you're the savior, not me. All I know is what I was told in a message…a message that said there was a new curse and everyone had been returned to Storybrooke…a message that said the only hope was you."

"You came all the way back here to save my family?" Emma said skeptically.

"I came back to save you."

* * *

"Emma, hey, Walsh came by," Mia called to Emma without bothering to look up. The girl's head was stuck in one of Henry's books. She liked to read…maybe even more than Henry.

Emma inhaled sharply. "You talked to him?"

Emma had just come from talking to Walsh. She felt like she owed him some kind of an explanation. She'd been with him for eight months. She couldn't just leave town without a word. To say he hadn't taken it well was the understatement of the century…he turned into a flying monkey and attacked her. She didn't want him anywhere near her kids – either one of them. It was weird to think of Mia as her kid, but it also felt right.

"Uh, yeah…" Mia finally looked up from her book to look at Emma strangely. The girl's eyes widened when she saw Hook standing behind Emma.

Emma sighed. "You can't talk to random guys you don't know."

"He's not some random guy. He's _your_ boyfriend. And I'm not the one who invited a crazy guy in," Mia said defensively.

Emma struggled to come up with a reasonable explanation. "He's not crazy. He's…um…I'm helping him with a case."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said, but I was wrong. He's someone from my past and I just…didn't remember."

"Right…" Mia looked at Emma in disbelief.

"Mia, meet Killian. Killian…Mia."

"Killian? Isn't that a kind of beer?"

Hook grinned. "I like her, Swan."

Emma stared at the girl. "How do you know that? You're twelve."

"Yeah, and when I was ten I spent a lot of time in a bar…with my foster brother…he was a busboy. It's where I learned to play pool, remember?"

Great…when they were ten, her son was trying to break a curse cast by the Evil Queen and her daughter was hanging out in a bar where she learned to hustle. Emma gave them up to give them their best shot, but neither of them had exactly had the life she wanted for her kids.

"Yeah, I remember," Emma muttered under her breath.

* * *

Emma was being weird. She had been weird ever since she came back from making phone calls – or whatever she was really doing. She'd been gone almost all day. She couldn't have that many phone calls.

Emma came back with the crazy guy from Friday night. Now Emma was saying he _wasn't_ crazy…that he was someone from her past and she just didn't remember.

The crazy guy's name didn't even seem like a real name. Mia had never met anyone named Killian before. She vaguely remembered seeing Killian's Irish Red beer in the little bar and grill her foster brother worked at in Boston.

Mia almost wondered if "Killian" had something on Emma. But he just had a drink with her and then left. They talked in hushed voices over their drinks. Mia strained to hear, but couldn't make sense of anything they were saying.

Emma was still being weird even after Killian left. The woman was staring at her…a lot. It was making Mia more than a little uncomfortable. She even went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face in case she had something in her teeth or on her face, but she didn't.

Even Henry seemed to think Emma was being weird – and he would know…he was her son.

Henry studied Emma from across the breakfast bar as he stuffed potato chips in his mouth. "Mom, is there something going on?"

"No, nothing."

"You're worrying," Henry said with a knowing expression.

"No, I'm not…I'm thinking. There's a difference."

"What are you thinking about?"

"A case. You know how focused I get."

Mia stared at the woman with raised eyebrows. "The case you're helping Killian with?"

"Who's Killian?" Henry asked.

"Uh, he's a…client." Emma was lying…again.

Henry didn't look like he believed Emma either. "Uh-huh. And does Walsh know about Killian?"

Emma stiffened. "Walsh and I…we're not together anymore."

"What? But he was going to propose!"

Emma looked startled. "He was?"

Henry stared at her. "Come on, Mom. The other night – the night you bailed on him? First date restaurant…special night out."

Emma sighed. "Look, kid, I know you liked him, but-"

"I like him…present tense. I like him because _you_ like him," Henry cut her off. "He makes you happy."

"Maybe he did once, but not anymore. It was just…wrong. I was wrong about him, okay?"

"You're always looking for something to be wrong." Henry sounded frustrated. "Sometimes it's okay to accept things are good."

"Things _are_ good…with or without Walsh. Aren't you the one who's always telling me to trust my gut?"

"Well, maybe your gut is wrong this time."

"It's not…not about this," Emma insisted.

It was the first time Emma and Henry had really disagreed on anything since Mia had been there, and she felt a little awkward about being there. She examined the chipped black polish on her nails and tried not to listen…it was none of her business who Emma married – or _didn't_ marry…it wasn't like Walsh would have been _her_ stepfather.

* * *

The next day things got even weirder.

"Do you believe in magic?" Emma asked Henry over breakfast.

"Of course…and the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. If it gets me a present, I believe," Henry said with a grin.

Emma turned to Mia. "What about you, Mia? Do you believe in magic?"

"No…my Hogwarts letter must have gotten lost in the mail," Mia said dryly.

Henry only had a few bites of his scrambled eggs before standing up. "Tasty, but I've got to run. I'm going to be late for school. You kind of overslept."

"Nope, no school today. How about we go on a trip?" Emma suggested randomly.

Mia froze with her fork halfway to her mouth, unease washing over her.

"Like a vacation?" Henry asked with interest, sitting back down.

"Like I have a new case and it's in Maine, and it might take me awhile…"

That was all Mia needed to hear to know she wasn't going. She swallowed back the disappointment. This was only ever supposed to be temporary…just until Emma found her birth parents. Now it seemed like it would be even sooner than that if Emma had a case in Maine that wasn't just a one or two-day thing. The woman wouldn't take some random kid she'd only met a few days ago on a road trip.

"No school? A trip with you? Sold."

"Good, because I already packed."

Mia stared numbly. How long had Emma been planning this?

"When do we leave?" Henry asked.

"Now."

Mia backed out of the kitchen. She got dressed in record time and shrugged her backpack over shoulders. She heard someone at the door and then she heard voices. She slipped into the common area unnoticed.

Killian was there…again. It must have been him at the door. He and Emma were standing in the entryway, blocking Mia's path to the front door. They were facing toward her…well, not _her_ exactly…the common room, but their attention was focused on Henry, who didn't seem too thrilled by Killian's presence.

Mia had identified the window in the living room as an alternate escape route on her first night there. She crossed the room quietly, unlocked the window, opened it and climbed out to the fire escape.

"Mia?"

Mia closed her eyes. That was Emma's voice. She wanted to leave without an awkward goodbye. She didn't want to hear a half-hearted apology or a lame excuse. She'd heard it all before…she just didn't think she would hear it from Emma…Emma had seemed different somehow.

Mia didn't turn around or otherwise acknowledge the woman. She darted to the stairs.

"Mia, stop!" Mia barely recognized the panic-stricken voice from the normally calm and confident woman…and it almost made Mia stop… _almost_.

Mia didn't stop. She started her descent down the fire escape. She heard rustling behind her and knew Emma was coming after her. Why couldn't the woman just let her go?

Mia ran without looking back. She heard Emma's footsteps - it sounded like the woman was right behind her.

The wrought iron fire escape was slick and the rubber soles of her tattered sneakers had long since lost their tread. Mia slipped…her feet slid out from under her and she fell forward. Her hands instinctively shot out to break her fall.

With a wince, Mia pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her white t-shirt was almost black. It was covered in dirt from the fire escape. She drew her knees to her chest. There used to be slightly shredded denim over the knees of her jeans, but now there were just big holes there. Her knees were covered in blood.

* * *

Emma was trying to run interference between her son and Hook when she saw Mia out of the corner of her eye. The girl – no, her daughter – had just gone out the damn window.

Emma didn't think she had to worry about Mia running away anymore, but clearly she thought wrong.

Mia had all day to leave the day before…why did she wait until now? Emma was glad Mia had waited until she was there to stop her…she just didn't understand _why_ the girl had waited. Mia wasn't stupid.

Emma was at the window in seconds. "Mia?"

Mia froze for a fraction of a second and then took off toward the metal stairs.

"Mia, stop!"

Mia didn't stop. Emma chased after her. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She just found her daughter…she wasn't going to lose her again…not now.

The girl was fast, but Emma was fast, too. Chasing people was kind of part of the job description for a bail bondsperson...Emma had a lot of practice.

Mia must have sensed Emma gaining on her. Mia was taking the stairs two at a time, trying to stay one step ahead of her.

Emma watched in horror as Mia slipped and fell face-first down the stairs. She wasn't close enough to catch the girl. By the time she got to her, Mia was already sitting up, looking a little shocked.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked as she kneeled down in front of the girl and examined her carefully.

"I'm fine," Mia breathed.

Emma sat back a little and studied the girl. "Why'd you run?"

"You're leaving…just let me go."

"I'm not leaving. Well, I am, but you're coming with…we're all going to Maine…together."

Mia stared at her in shock. "I am – we are?"

"We are." Emma took the girl's hand in her own and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Mia winced ever-so-slightly at the touch. Emma turned the girl's hand over carefully. It was covered in angry red scratches from the metal stairs.

"Come on, you need to get cleaned up before we go."

Emma put an arm around Mia's shoulders and guided her back up the stairs and into the apartment. She led the girl back to the master bathroom.

"You need to take those jeans off…I'll find something else for you to wear after we get you cleaned up."

Mia hesitated for a second before peeling her jeans off. The girl sat on the ledge of the bathtub and washed her knees off quickly with soap and water. After she dried off with the fluffy white towel Emma handed her, she eyed the bottle of isopropyl alcohol Emma had warily.

Emma offered Mia an apologetic look as she cleaned the girl's cuts and scrapes with the isopropyl alcohol.

"Shit, that hurts!"

"Sorry."

* * *

It was an eight-and-a-half-hour drive from New York to Maine with good traffic and no stops. Emma was driving, Hook had shotgun, and the kids were in the backseat…even though Henry didn't stay in the backseat – he kept leaning forward to change the radio station.

"I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?" Henry asked.

Emma remembered the first time she drove Henry to Storybrooke. It was the same thing he'd asked her then…

 _"I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?"_

 _"This is not a road trip. We're not stopping for snacks," Emma said in an annoyed tone. She was just trying to get him home – home to his adoptive family…because she wasn't his mom…she couldn't be anyone's mom. She wasn't going to bond with the son she'd given up…she had a reason for giving him up._

 _"Why not?" Henry asked innocently._

 _"Quit complaining, kid. Remember I could have put your butt on a bus…I still could." Emma wouldn't have put him on a bus though. Even then when she had no intention of being his mom in any way, shape, or form, she had felt responsible for Henry somehow._

Emma had changed since then…and Henry was the one who changed her, but he didn't remember any of that. It was such a screwed up situation.

"You're hungry? We just had breakfast." But Emma was already pulling off at the exit. She couldn't say no to Henry…she'd never really been able to, not even when she'd just barely met him.

Emma turned into the first gas station at the exit. As soon as she and Hook got out of the car, Henry and Mia climbed out from the backseat. It must have looked a little like a clown car with four people crammed in the little yellow Volkswagen Bug.

Henry accepted the crumpled bill Emma offered him. "Thanks! Do you want anything, Mom?"

"Coffee, but I'll come get it after I fill the tank."

Mia practically ran toward the gas station before Emma could give her money. The girl didn't go inside the gas station though. Instead, she walked around the outside to the side of the gas station. Emma was about to follow her when she saw Mia disappear under a dingy sign for the women's restroom. She wondered how long the girl had needed a bathroom. Mia wouldn't have asked Emma to stop for her…she didn't ask for much.

After she topped off the tank, Emma went to the bathroom. Mia was still in there, but she was already done and was washing her hands in the little sink. There weren't any paper towels so the girl wiped her hands on the sweatpants Emma had given her to wear. They were baggy on the little girl and it looked like they might fall off at any second.

Emma really needed to get Mia some clothes that fit her. The girl didn't have much to begin with, and now she had even less…Emma didn't know if Mia's jeans were worth saving. They were in even worse shape than before after the tumble she took down the fire escape.

Once she had her coffee just the way she liked it, Emma found Henry and Mia in the candy aisle.

"Apollo bars are my favorite," Henry said as he grabbed one off the shelf.

"Mine, too," Mia said, prompting Henry to grab a second candy bar for her.

Emma had noticed before that Henry and Mia had similar taste. They both liked their eggs scrambled, thought pulp in orange juice was gross, preferred Coke to Pepsi, and thought pizza should be a main food group. She wondered if it was because they were twins, but she also remembered at least one difference. Mia had wanted Emma's Rocky Road ice cream over Henry's Cherry Vanilla.

They left the gas station with two coffees…one of which Emma was sure was now an Irish coffee after Hook discreetly pulled out his flask, two bottles of Coke, two Apollo bars, a bag of trail mix, and a bag of potato chips.

They could make it to Storybrooke on that tank of gas, but they had to stop for lunch and dinner. By dinnertime, they were all tired of being in the car. They'd gone from making a game out of naming the band and song title of whatever was playing on the radio to driving in silence. They were in the middle of nowhere and their choice of radio stations was limited to a religious station and an oldies station…no, thank you. Emma had turned the radio off, and Henry immediately put his earbuds in. Mia had to be bored, but she wasn't complaining.

Henry wanted Hardee's for dinner and neither of the other two passengers spoke up. Hook had probably never set foot in a fast food joint until that day and Emma had a feeling Mia wouldn't have said anything even if Hardee's sounded awful to her.

They looked like a motley crew as they trudged into Hardee's. Emma was wearing her signature red leather jacket, jeans and boots. Henry was wearing his pea coat and scarf. It was a preppy, clean-cut look compared to the rest of them. That was Regina's influence even if he didn't remember Regina. Mia had an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants on. She might have just rolled out of bed. And Hook…well, Hook looked like a grown man that was dressed up as a pirate for Halloween, which would have been slightly less noticeable if it had actually been Halloween. An older couple eating dinner in one of the booths stared unabashedly at him.

They ordered burgers, fries and drinks all around. Mia and Henry made a beeline for the bathroom while Emma paid. Hook carried the bag of food and the cups over to the fountain drink machine.

"They'll both want Coke," Emma told him. "And I'll have-"

"Ice tea," Hook said. "I know you, Swan. I know what you like."

They piled back into the car. Henry fell asleep with a full stomach sometime before they crossed the state line into Maine. His cheek was pressed against the cool glass window and his mouth was hanging open. His hand was still curled tightly around his iPod. Mia was staring out the window at the jagged coast as they drove by.

"Where are we going…like, what city?" Mia asked.

"Storybrooke," Emma answered after a second.

"Storybrooke? Seriously?" Mia scoffed.

"Yep."

It was late when they finally got to Storybrooke and both kids were asleep. Henry had relaxed his grip on his iPod as he fell into a deeper sleep. It was on the seat next to him. Mia's head was tilted at an uncomfortable-looking angle and her breathing had evened out. The eight-and-a-half hour drive had taken them just over ten hours with all the stops. It hadn't helped that it had been stop-and-go until they got out of New York City and they'd hit traffic again in Boston.

"Are you ready for this?" Hook asked.

Emma looked at the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign and sighed. "Does it matter? I don't have a choice."

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading and reviewing! This isn't my favorite chapter, but I had to get it out of the way to transition them to Storybrooke. For those of you who asked, there will be some insight into why Emma didn't try to find Mia in the next few chapters. Emma will talk to Mary Margaret and David in the next chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Emma took a deep breath and knocked on the familiar door. Seconds later David answered it.

She didn't know what to say – or how to explain that she was his daughter when he wouldn't remember her and she looked like she was the same age as him. "Hi. Don't close the door. I- my name is-"

"Emma," David said with a smile.

It turned out David remembered _her_. That was new…Regina's curse had wiped everyone's memories and given them fake memories. This time they apparently remembered everything that had happened right up until Pan's curse.

"But if you can't remember, then how do you know it's been a-"

Emma had her answer when Mary Margaret appeared in the doorway next to David. The sight of her very pregnant mother took her by surprise. Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised…Mary Margaret had said she wanted another baby in the Echo Cave in Neverland…she had said what she had with Emma wasn't what she wanted - it wasn't enough for her. In spite of that, it still caught Emma off guard.

"Year…" Emma finished. She didn't even try to sound like she was okay with it…she was too – what was she…bitter…resentful…hurt? She didn't even know…she just knew she wasn't okay.

David put a protective arm around Mary Margaret's shoulders. "As you can see, a lot's happened."

Emma knew she wasn't reacting the way they wanted her to…she knew she should be happy for them, but she just…couldn't be.

"A lot happened while we were in New York, too. You know I had Henry when I was in prison, right?"

Mary Margaret scrunched her face up in confusion, but she nodded anyway. "You gave him up to give him his best chance."

"It wasn't just him I gave up…I had twins."

"Emma…" Mary Margaret sounded shocked and hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why would I?" Emma realized how harsh that might have sounded after she said it. "I gave her up. I never thought I would see her again."

"Her?" Mary Margaret turned to David. "Did you hear that, David? We have a granddaughter!"

"I heard," David said with a soft chuckle.

"Don't get too excited…she doesn't know I'm her mom."

"But you found her? That _is_ why you're telling us?" David questioned.

"I did. She's in the car with Henry and Hook."

"Wait, she's here?" Mary Margaret looked like she was torn between excitement and confusion…confusion won. "Then - when are you going to tell her that she's your daughter?"

"I can't…not until Henry gets his memories back."

David nodded, realization washing over him. "Of course, Henry doesn't remember. Then he thinks…"

"He thinks I kept him. And the only thing she knows about her mom – about _me_ – is that I gave her away. That's the problem."

Mary Margaret stared at her in disbelief. "So you're just going to keep the truth from her until the curse is broken?"

"What do I tell her? I gave her and Henry up…Henry just doesn't remember because Peter Pan cursed everyone and the Evil Queen gave us fake memories?"

"That would be hard to believe," David acknowledged.

"Right…so until I break the curse, she can't know. Now who the hell could have cursed everyone…again?"

* * *

They got a room with double beds and a pull-out couch at Granny's. The kids fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Henry had never really woken up…he stumbled out of the backseat in a zombie-like state and passed out fully clothed on the first bed he saw. Emma took his shoes off and pulled the covers up over him as best as she could when he was dead weight on top of them.

Mia brushed her teeth and washed her face in the bathroom and then promptly curled up on the couch without even pulling out the bed.

"Nope, you're sleeping in the bed. I'll take the couch," Emma told her.

Mia was apparently too tired to argue because she just dragged herself over to the bed and practically threw herself into it.

It took Emma longer to fall asleep. Her mind wouldn't shut off for the night. She was running through all of the possible fairytale characters in her mind, trying to figure out who would have brought them all back here. After she broke the first curse, they all wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest. It just didn't make any sense that one of them would have brought them back here intentionally.

Her parents didn't think it was Regina, but Emma didn't know… This new curse forced Emma to bring the thing Regina loved the most back to Storybrooke…Henry.

* * *

Granny's Diner was just as busy as Emma remembered in the mornings. She managed to find an empty booth. She slid in next to Henry and Mia plopped down across from them. Ruby brought their usual drinks and an extra hot cocoa for Mia over right away.

David and Mary Margaret came into the diner before Henry and Mia had a chance to look at the menu. They came over to the booth and looked at Emma expectantly.

"Hey, guys, this is David and Mary Margaret."

"Are you helping my mom with the case?" Henry turned to her and lowered his voice. "Or are they the ones who jumped bail?"

Mia was leaning forward from the other side of the booth, trying to hear what they were saying.

"No, they are…they are just old friends."

"Friends? From where?"

"Phoenix," Mary Margaret said before Emma could answer.

"Well, Phoenix and here," Emma said quickly…but it was already too late. She could see the little wheels turning in Henry's mind.

"But I thought you were only in Phoenix for being in…that place." Henry was trying to be sensitive, but everyone except Mia knew what "that place" was…

Emma shot Mary Margaret a warning look, but Mary Margaret didn't see it. "Right…we were cell mates."

Great…Mia didn't even know she was her mom, but now the girl would know she'd been in jail. Emma hoped it wouldn't scare her off.

"Cell mates?" Mia turned to Emma. "Wait, you were in jail?!"

Emma stilled, closing her eyes for a second. "Yes."

Mia stared. "For what?"

"It was a minimum-security prison." Emma tried to downplay it. "I didn't do anything…my boyfriend set me up to take the fall for his crime."

Mia's eyes were wide. "What crime?"

Emma winced ever-so-slightly. "He, uh, stole some watches."

Henry was studying Mary Margaret. "What about you? What were you in for?"

"Banditry." Emma stifled a groan…Mary Margaret was really on a roll.

Mia turned to Mary Margaret in complete disbelief. "Banditry? Seriously?"

"People make mistakes. The important thing is to keep moving on."

"Right…" Mia said slowly.

"Did you know my dad?" Henry asked.

Thankfully David changed the subject before Mary Margaret could answer – or _try_ to answer anyway...because all her answers so far had just raised more questions for Henry and Mia…questions Emma knew she would have to answer later. Who knew what Mary Margaret would have said about Neal?

They heard a loud crash from across the diner. Emma looked over to see Regina standing there, staring at Henry. There were broken pieces of what had been a ceramic coffee mug on the tile floor in front of her.

Emma got to her feet and practically dragged Regina to the back of the diner to talk privately. Regina was pretty convincing when she said she did _not_ have anything to do with the curse. Emma could see how much it hurt her to see Henry when he didn't know who she was.

Emma took a deep breath. "I need to tell you something before you hear it from someone else." Or saw Mia and figured it out herself…Regina wasn't stupid – far from it.

"What?" Regina demanded impatiently.

"Henry's not the only kid I had." Emma watched Regina carefully to gauge her reaction…there was none. She couldn't tell if Regina already knew. If Regina knew and she took away Emma's memories…

"I fail to see how any other children you may have running around out there concern me, Miss Swan. The only child I'm concerned with is Henry."

"It doesn't concern you, but it _does_ concern Henry because the only other kid I have is his twin."

Regina looked taken aback. It took her a second to process. "Henry's a twin?"

"You didn't know?"

"Of course not," Regina said in an irritable tone. "Had I known, I wouldn't have separated them."

Emma studied her, looking for any sign that she was lying. "You wouldn't have?"

"In all the time you spent with Henry, did you never once read his book? Hansel and Gretel?" Regina looked at her like she thought she was a complete idiot…and she probably did knowing her. "I was going to let both of them to stay in my castle with me."

Realization washed over Emma as she remembered the story of Hansel and Gretel from Henry's book. "That's right…you did."

"Why would I suddenly be in the business of splitting twins up now?"

"You wouldn't," Emma acknowledged softly. "They never said anything when you adopted Henry?"

"Not a word." Regina's expression changed…it was almost wistful. "Henry always wanted a sibling. He was lonely. Maybe if he'd had one…"

Emma stared at her with a knowing expression…she knew Regina well enough to know what the woman had stopped herself from saying. "What, he wouldn't have found me?"

Regina didn't seem to think that was worth responding to…but she didn't really need to - they both knew the answer.

"Well, he has one now…or he will. I found her and brought her here…I just haven't told her – or him – yet."

"But you're planning to?" Regina surmised.

Emma nodded. "When Henry gets his memories back."

"Well, Miss Swan, it seems we have a common goal."

* * *

"Mia!" Henry called in a whisper from in between the shelves of books in the library.

Mia walked over to him. "Why are you whispering? Mary Margaret found a section on babies…"

Mary Margaret was their designated babysitter. She had talked about babies non-stop until she offered to take them to the library. They now knew more than either one of them had ever wanted to know about newborns.

"Oh. She was lying about how she knows my mom."

"I know…she said she was arrested for banditry." Mia rolled her eyes and let out a short laugh.

"She does know my mom though…she has to…she knew my mom was in jail in Arizona."

"That was true?"

Henry nodded. "So…why would she lie?"

"Because they don't want us to know how they really know each other. But where could they have met that's worse than jail?"

They stared blankly at each other…neither of them could think of anywhere Emma and Mary Margaret could have met that would be worse than jail. How the hell did they know each other…and _why_ were they lying?

"It's kind of weird that my mom has all these old friends she's never mentioned," Henry said after a few seconds.

Mia stared at him. "All? Isn't it just Mary Margaret and David?"

"And Killian."

"Killian was at your apartment the first night I was there. Remember…someone came to the door and it wasn't the pizza guy?" Mia felt a little guilty for telling something she knew instinctively that Emma did _not_ want Henry to know, but she couldn't bring herself to feel _too_ badly since Emma was lying to both of them.

Henry's eyes widened. "That was Killian?"

Mia nodded. "Only they didn't seem that friendly. Your mom threatened to punch him in the face."

"That sounds like my mom," Henry said with a laugh.

* * *

Regina didn't know why she let Swan talk her into this…it had been bad enough to see her son in the diner and have him look right through her like she was nobody to him. She wasn't prepared to talk to him and have him treat her like a virtual stranger. He _wasn't_ a stranger…he was _her_ son.

"Come on, I want you to meet someone." Regina arched her eyebrows when Emma appeared with _both_ children…she supposed it would have seemed strange if she only spent time with Henry, but he was the only one she _wanted_ to spend time with. She already had to share one child with Emma Swan…she didn't want to make it two.

Regina eyed the girl with her son critically…the girl looked like Henry - well, of course she did...they _were_ twins. But the girl also looked like a complete ragamuffin…her clothes didn't fit her at all and her sneakers were practically falling apart. It didn't even look like she'd made any attempt whatsoever to tame her wild hair that morning.

"This is Regina Mills. She's the mayor of this town and she wanted to meet you…two," Swan said awkwardly. She gave Regina a pleading look and glanced at the girl with a small, helpless shrug.

Regina resigned herself to the girl's presence, but she was focused solely on Henry.

Henry shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of her gaze. "Is something wrong?"

Regina snapped out of it and gave him a tight, forced smile. "No, nothing's wrong. Your mother just told me a lot about you. I heard you like school and that you're good at English."

"Yeah? Why did she tell you all this?" Henry asked, looking confused.

"Because she couldn't be more proud of you," Regina said, speaking for herself more than for Emma.

Regina offered to give him a tour of the town and take him for ice cream, grudgingly including the girl in her plans.

The conversation was awkward and stilted, but it was a start. It was better than nothing.

At least the girl didn't attempt to insert herself into the conversation…she seemed to sense her presence was neither needed nor wanted.

Regina was going to hug Henry goodbye, but he awkwardly offered her his hand instead. It felt like a slap in the face. She reluctantly shook the girl's hand as well…though she couldn't help but wonder how clean it was.

"Swan, if I'm going to be seen in public with your daughter, see to it that she's dressed appropriately…and by appropriately I mean in clothes that actually fit," Regina said as Emma walked her out.

* * *

At first Mia thought the shopping trip to Modern Fashions, which was probably one of the only clothing stores in the small town, was for Emma. She only realized the woman was shopping for _her_ when Emma guided her over to the juniors section. She felt her face grow hot and knew she was blushing furiously.

"I _have_ clothes."

"You have, like, three shirts."

"I have enough," Mia said defensively.

"Look, we're going to be here for a little while and I just want to make sure you have enough to get you by."

"Well, I do."

"Okay…what about jeans? Your jeans didn't exactly survive your trip down the fire escape."

Mia knew she couldn't really argue with that. She picked a random pair of jeans from the rack in the section for her size and looked at the price tag. She immediately put them back…they cost more than everything she owned combined.

"Can we go to another store?"

"Uh, Storybrooke? Not really the shopping capital of Maine."

"Is there a thrift store?"

Emma sighed. "This is about money, isn't it?"

Mia nodded, still staring at the floor. She wished it would open and swallow her.

"How about you don't worry about the price? I got this."

Mia looked up at her in surprise. Okay, maybe Emma had paid for food and little things like that for her, but that was different than buying her clothes. None of her foster parents bought her clothes from places like this…and they were getting paid to take care of her. She thought of the sixty bucks in her backpack back at the bed and breakfast…she really didn't want to spend it all on clothes.

"I have money – just…not enough for this kind of store." Mia tried to explain.

"It sounds like you're still worrying about the price. Stop," Emma said gently. "I said I got this."

"You're not, like, my foster mom. You won't get a government check to pay for it," Mia mumbled.

A strange look crossed Emma's face. It looked like she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. She smiled weakly. "You hurt yourself falling down _my_ fire escape. I feel kind of responsible."

Mia gaped at the woman. She hurt herself falling down the fire escape because she was running…it was _her_ fault, _not_ Emma's.

"Besides, you've been my assistant in the kitchen for the last couple days. I figure I owe you for that. Think of it as an allowance."

"It's too much." Mia tried to explain. She didn't know of anyone who got that kind of money for their allowance.

"No, it's not. Come on, Mia…try these on." Emma gave her the jeans she'd picked up earlier. "We're not leaving until you do."

Mia took the jeans back to a dressing room. They weren't tight like her old jeans were, they didn't drag on the floor like the yoga pants she was borrowing from Emma, and the denim was the softest she'd ever felt. She liked them. She decided to let Emma buy them for her since the woman really wanted to, but she still felt a small pang of guilt at the thought of anyone spending that kind of money on her.

* * *

Emma thought pre-teen girls _liked_ shopping. She wasn't much of a girly-girl, and she remembered having fun trying things on at that age, even if she couldn't actually buy any of them. Mia acted like the shopping trip was the absolute last thing she wanted to do.

It didn't help that Storybrooke didn't have a mall…even though Emma wondered if Mia would have been just as difficult in an actual mall. It wasn't the clothes she had a problem with...it was the price - or more specifically letting Emma pay for it. Emma knew it would be a problem going in...she just thought the girl would get past it.

Emma had been planning to buy Mia a week's worth of clothes to get her started. Instead, they left with two pairs of jeans – and even that felt like a cause for celebration. It wasn't enough, but Emma had a new plan…she would come back minus Mia and buy the girl the essentials. Mia wouldn't be happy, but she would have clothes that actually fit her and were warm enough for March in Storybooke. The girl needed new clothes, even if she didn't want them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading and reviewing! For those of you who have been asking about ships, I'm trying to follow the show for the most part so I guess Captain Swan, but that will be secondary to Emma, Henry and Mia becoming a family. There will also be a lot of Regina thrown in for any Regina fans reading. I love her friendship with Emma and think she deserves to have a relationship with Henry.

 **Chapter 10**

"I got you some stuff." Emma dropped a bulky shopping bag from Modern Fashions in Mia's lap.

Mia looked in the bag. It had several long-sleeve cotton shirts in various colors and designs, three thick sweaters, and two hooded sweatshirts in it. Surprisingly she liked everything the woman bought, but…

"You can't keep buying me things."

"You're welcome," Emma said a little sarcastically.

Mia blushed, not wanting to seem ungrateful. "Thank you."

Emma seemed to relax, nodding slightly in acknowledgement. "You like?"

Mia's fingers curled around a dark grey hoodie with a silver peace sign on it. It was soft and felt like it would be warm. "I love."

"Good, because I lost the receipt so you can't return it," Emma said with a smirk.

"Then it's a good thing you didn't buy anything pink. I had a placement when I was, like, seven or eight where the mom tried to force me into this horrible pink princess dress. I swear everything she ever bought me was some shade of pink. The room was the color of Pepto Bismol."

Emma let out a short laugh. "Had she ever met you?"

"She wasn't shopping for me," Mia said matter-of-factly. "She was shopping for the perfect daughter she dreamed up. It didn't take her long to realize that…wasn't me."

Emma put a hand on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. "Then that was her loss because you're a pretty awesome kid."

Mia felt silly for grinning like an idiot. Emma hadn't known her for that long…she shouldn't care what the woman thought, but she did…maybe a little too much. It was strange for her to get attached to anyone that fast…she'd learned _not_ to get attached in the system and was generally good at keeping everyone at arm's length where they couldn't get close enough to hurt her.

Mia tried to shrug it off and Emma's hand dropped from her shoulder. "It's okay…she wasn't a perfect mom either."

"I don't know if anyone is," Emma muttered under her breath. Mia didn't think the woman wanted her to hear it, but she did and she couldn't ignore it…not when she'd seen a lot of moms who were way worse than Emma.

"Is this about Henry…because he's still upset about Walsh?"

Emma's eyes widened. "I don't know…is he?"

Mia bit her lower lip. "I don't know…maybe. Here's the thing…I'm not an expert on moms - my mom gave me up when I was born…and all of my foster moms have been examples of what _not_ to do. But you - you're actually a pretty good mom." Her eyes widened in horror when she realized what she said – and how it might have sounded. She knew Emma _wasn't_ her foster mom. "To Henry…obviously."

* * *

Mia kept her tone light as she talked about the foster mom that tried to get her into a pink princess dress. Emma had to laugh at the irony…technically she _was_ a princess – did that make her daughter one, too? She didn't know. Princess or not, she couldn't imagine Mia in a pink princess dress any more than she could imagine herself growing up as a pampered princess in the Enchanted Forest.

Emma hoped the fact that the foster mom in question had bought Mia a dress and decorated a room for her, even if it was pink, meant that it had been a good home…that not all of the girl's foster homes had been bad…but it was almost worse to be sent back to the system from a good home.

"Then that was her loss because you're a pretty awesome kid."

Mia smiled. It was a bright smile that lit up the girl's entire face, but it disappeared in a flash and the girl looked like she felt awkward and uncomfortable. She abruptly shrugged Emma's hand off her shoulder. "It's okay…she wasn't a perfect mom either."

"I don't know if anyone is," Emma muttered under her breath. She wasn't…Regina wasn't…hell, even Mary Margaret wasn't.

"Is this about Henry…because he's still upset about Walsh?"

Henry was upset? "I don't know…is he?"

"I don't know…maybe." That was a yes…Henry _was_ upset. Emma needed to talk to him. "Here's the thing…I'm not an expert on moms - my mom gave me up when I was born…and all of my foster moms have been examples of what _not_ to do. But you - you're actually a pretty good mom."

Emma's chest felt tight. She wondered if Mia would still think that when the girl found out she was _her_ mom – the same mom that gave her up when she was born.

"To Henry…obviously," Mia added hastily, looking embarrassed.

"Right…obviously," Emma said with a gnawing feeling in her stomach.

"Henry – he's lucky," Mia said with a tight, forced smile.

* * *

Mia let out a relieved sigh after Emma left to work on her case. "I thought she was going to leave us with Mary Margaret again."

"She likes us too much to let us die of boredom," Henry replied. "I don't think it was just the case that brought my mom to Storybrooke."

Mia glanced at him. "What, you think it was the tourist attractions?"

"I think she's hiding from Walsh. He was going to propose to her. She broke up with him and left town. I don't think it's a coincidence."

"She couldn't have hid somewhere more fun…like Disney World?"

Henry shot her a look. "You're missing the point."

Mia turned to him. "What is the point?"

"My mom wouldn't take a case in Queens if it meant I'd miss school, and now she's taking me out of school for a job in Maine."

"Maybe it paid really well."

"Or she's hiding from Walsh," Henry insisted.

Mia sighed. "Maybe you're right. But if she wanted to be with Walsh, she wouldn't be hiding in Storybrooke. I'm sorry, but their relationship kind of seems like it's more Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together than Beyonce's Put A Ring On it…"

Henry made a face. "We have to work on your music education."

Mia knew he didn't like what she said and wasn't surprised he chose to ignore it. She winced…he really wouldn't like what she said next. "I think maybe…your mom likes Killian."

Henry looked skeptical. "You said she threatened to punch him in the face."

"She did. And then she came here with him."

"He's a client."

"Does she always go on road trips with her clients?"

"No…never," Henry said with a sigh.

"But, hey, we got a trip to the world's smallest town." Mia tried to cheer him up.

"I don't think this is actually the world's smallest town. But it might be in the top ten - or bottom ten? Let's go explore." Henry was already handing her jacket to her.

Mia shrugged it on and followed him out the back of Granny's…they didn't want one of Emma's old friends to stop them. "You would think they'd have, like, a giant lobster or the biggest ball of yarn or something."

"The library in the clock tower is kind of cool."

* * *

They ended their self-guided tour of Storybrooke at a playground with an old wooden structure that looked like it was supposed to be a castle. They climbed up and sat down on the rickety wooden railing, hoping it would hold…well, Mia was hoping it would hold…Henry didn't seem to be worried.

"Henry!" Neither of them recognized the voice, but it was filled with relief. They looked down to see the mayor. "What are you doing out here alone?"

Henry and Mia exchanged a confused look before he turned to the mayor. "I'm not alone."

"And it's the middle of the day in Storybrooke, not midnight in New York," Mia added defensively.

The mayor glanced at Mia with an unreadable expression. "This town is bigger than you know…though I know it must seem quaint compared to the big city. I hope that hasn't given you a false sense of security. It is possible for bad things to happen here."

"That should be your campaign slogan," Mia muttered under her breath. Luckily the woman didn't catch it, but Henry snickered.

"I thought now would be a good time for the tour I promised you."

They had just walked around the entire town in under an hour, but they didn't have anything better to do and couldn't really say no to the mayor so they agreed. Henry waited for Mia to ease herself down and then lowered himself to the ground.

The mayor pointed out an arcade they had somehow missed and told them the drug store always had the latest comic books, asking questions – mostly about Henry's life in New York – as they walked down the main street of Storybrooke. She almost seemed to know Henry – or at least what he liked.

Mia was quiet. She was happy to let Henry play twenty questions with the mayor. The less the woman knew about her, the better. She didn't know what the mayor knew about her situation, but she did _not_ want to say the wrong thing and end up in a group home in Storybrooke – and that was if the small town even had one. If not, she'd be on a bus to Boston…

"Do you have a son?" Henry asked.

"No," the mayor said softly, looking like it almost pained her to say it. "Now, I believe I promised you ice cream."

The mayor paid for Henry's Cherry Vanilla and Mia's Rocky Road. They both thanked her. They started walking back toward the park as they ate their ice cream cones.

"The ice cream good?" Regina asked.

"Delicious. My mom used to take me for gelato in Little Italy, but this is just as good," Henry answered.

"You'll find Storybrooke has its own charms."

"It's nice actually. New York's great, but there are so many people…it can make you feel…"

"Alone," Mia finished for Henry.

Henry gave her a small smile. "Yeah."

"That's the best part of a small town. Everybody knows everybody. It's like a big family," the mayor told them.

"That sounds nice. I've always thought it'd be nice to have more than two place settings during the holidays," Henry said.

"I think one day you'll have more family than you know what to do with."

* * *

"He was a flying monkey."

"I didn't know that," Emma said defensively.

Hook glanced at her. "Were you considering it…his proposal?"

"Does it matter?"

"Humor me."

"Yes, okay?" Emma said in an annoyed tone. "I was in love so of course I was considering it. As usual, he wasn't who he said he was and I got my heart broken. That enough humor for you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad to hear that."

Emma stared at him. "You're glad to hear I had my heart broken?"

"If it can be broken, it means it still works…"

Emma had just broken up with a flying monkey. She did not want to have this conversation with Hook. She started to walk away even though she knew he would follow her…he always did.

* * *

"People keep staring at us and whispering," Henry said in a low voice from across the booth in Granny's. The mayor had just dropped them off.

"I know, it's like we're movie stars." Mia kept her tone light even though she was a little creeped out by it.

Henry just stared at her. "I don't think that's why they're doing it."

"Are you sure? Because I think the mayor's writing a book on you. She was kind of trying to get your life story back there."

"Maybe she was just trying to be nice?"

"Maybe," Mia said skeptically.

"You don't like anyone."

"Hey, I like you and your mom just fine," Mia said defensively.

"That's two people…"

Mia tried to think of anyone else in the town that she actually liked. "Zelena's okay, too."

Henry scrunched his face up in confusion. "Who's Zelena?"

"Mary Margaret's midwife," Mia reminded him. "Anyone who gets that woman to calm the hell down about cradle crap is okay by me."

"I think it's cradle cap."

"That makes it so much better," Mia said sarcastically.

"Nope, it's still a crusty rash and it's still gross."

"Ew. Eating here." Mia held up her grilled cheese. "Let's not talk about rashes until after lunch."

"You're the one who brought it up."

* * *

"How was it…spending time with Henry?" Swan asked.

"It was better than nothing," Regina said flatly.

"And Mia…was she, uh, okay?" Swan sounded a little nervous.

"Your daughter is fine," Regina said curtly. "Henry seems to enjoy her company."

"Well, they are twins…"

"Yes, about that…Gold procured Henry for me. I-"

Swan stared at her. "Procured? He's a kid."

"I am well-aware of that, Miss Swan. Do not forget who raised him. I was just wondering if Gold knew about the girl…and if he kept her from me – and from Henry - for a reason."

"It's not like we can ask him."

"No," Regina said with a sigh. "He took his secrets with him to the grave."

* * *

By the end of the day, Emma wasn't sure if Gold had taken his secrets to the grave - or if he was even dead. The old farmhouse that the Wicked Witch was hiding out in had a cage with a wheel in it in the storm cellar…and the only person they knew of that could spin straw into gold with a wheel was Rumplestiltskin.

Emma saw him disappear into nothingness. She didn't know how he could have possibly come back from that, but crazier things had happened. Hell, Neal was shot right in front of her and disappeared into a portal, only to show up in Neverland.

Regina insisted on having Henry and Mia over for a home-cooked meal while Emma searched the farmhouse and the land around it into the night with Hook and David.

* * *

"That was just as good as any of the Italian restaurants in New York," Henry said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Where's your bathroom?"

"It's down the hall to the left." It was strange to give her son directions to the bathroom in the house he'd grown up in.

Without Henry in the room, Regina and the girl stared awkwardly at each other. Regina had kept the conversation flowing with her son easily enough because she knew his likes and dislikes. The girl had been quiet and unobtrusive.

"I hope you enjoyed your dinner." Regina tried to engage the girl for the first time that night.

"I did. It was really good. Thank you." Well, at least she was polite. "What's in it? Cayenne powder?"

Regina hid her surprise. "Red pepper flakes. I take it you cook?"

The girl shrugged, looking uncomfortable though Regina couldn't imagine why…it was a simple question. "Sometimes."

After that failed attempt to make small talk, they went back to sitting there in silence except for the girl's fork scraping on the plate. Regina was glad when her son returned to the table, but he was acting nervous…like he was up to something.

* * *

"The mayor lied…about not having a son – she lied," Henry blurted out.

"What? How do you know?"

"I didn't really have to go to the bathroom. I looked around-"

Mia glared at him. "You left me alone with her for that?"

Henry ignored her and continued. "She has a son. He has a room in her house. Why would she lie?"

"Was he, like, locked in his room?"

"No…I don't think he was there."

Mia furrowed her brow. "How do you know it was her son's room?"

"It was! It was blue and there were drawings and posters on the wall."

Mia blinked. "Okay…maybe she has a room for, like, a stepson or nephew."

Henry shook his head. "I don't think she's married. She wasn't wearing a ring."

Mia sighed and looked at him. "I had a room at my foster parents' house, but they weren't my parents. Just because she has a room for a kid…that doesn't mean she has a kid."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Henry stifled a yawn as he looked around their room at Granny's. "Where's my mom?"

Mia looked up from the book she was reading and shrugged. "Not here."

"I never heard her come in last night. Did you?" Henry sounded worried.

"No…"

"Do – do you think she's okay?"

If Emma hadn't come home in New York…well, Mia _still_ wouldn't be worried because it just wasn't that unusual for the adults in her life to be missing in action, but she would understand why Henry was worried. But they were in Storybrooke…

"Yes. We're in _Storybrooke_ ," was all Mia said. She didn't think she needed to say anything else.

"But the mayor said bad things happen here…"

Mia stared. "The same mayor you think is hiding a secret kid away somewhere?"

"She is! I can prove it," Henry insisted.

Mia continued to stare. "We're not breaking into the mayor's house."

Henry paused. It looked like the thought hadn't occurred to him but he thought it was a brilliant idea to break into the mayor's house.

Mia stifled a groan. " _No_."

* * *

Emma paused outside the door to her room in Granny's, trying to juggle hot cocoas, bagels, and her room key.

" _No_." Emma heard Mia's voice through the door. That was different…Emma didn't think the girl had ever said no to Henry before. She wondered what they were talking about.

"No what?" Emma asked as she opened the door.

Both kids turned to her with guilty expressions. "Nothing," they said in unison.

Emma arched an eyebrow in disbelief. So this was what it was like to have two kids…

They were obviously lying to her, but Emma could tell they had come to some kind of silent agreement _not_ to tell her what they were up to…because it sure looked like they were up to _something_ …she just didn't know what yet. That was okay…they wouldn't be doing anything except fishing, at least not that day.

But still…Emma wasn't sure she liked this. It had been her and Henry against the world since the day he brought her to Storybrooke. Even when she didn't believe in the curse or magic, Emma was a part of Operation Cobra. Henry told _her_ his secrets and plans. In their curse-free life in New York, it was still the two of them against the world. And now Henry had secrets with Mia – secrets neither of them seemed to be in the mood to share…at least not with her. She felt a pang of hurt.

Even though she knew Leroy would put a cramp in any plans they'd made, Emma didn't like that they even had plans that didn't include her. She was all for Henry and Mia bonding…she just didn't like that they were bonding without her. She knew it was silly, but she couldn't help it. She knew she had a special bond with Henry...and she would have plenty of time to bond with Mia – _after_ she broke the curse and saved everyone from the Wicked Witch of the West.

Emma sat down in the armchair facing the couch Henry and Mia were sitting on and set their breakfast down on the coffee table.

Henry stared at her. "Were you out all night?"

Emma swallowed back guilt. She didn't want Henry worried about her. Mia didn't look worried…she looked almost speculative.

"Were you with Killian?" Mia asked in a tone that suggested Emma had been doing a lot more than just working on a case with him. Emma did _not_ like her twelve year old daughter thinking _that_.

Henry made a face. "Oh, gross."

"I was working," Emma said a bit more sharply than she intended. "But I got you guys breakfast because I am supermom. Some cocoa and bagels."

Henry looked in the bag and was clearly unimpressed with the bagels. " _That's_ a bagel?"

"Sorry, kid. We're not in Manhattan anymore."

"Supermom can't fly to Manhattan?" Mia said dryly.

"I left my cape at home."

"When are we going home?" Henry was looking at her expectantly.

Emma hesitated. She didn't know _if_ they were going home. She wanted to take them back to New York where they could have a normal life without a seemingly endless rotation of evil villains, but she also knew Henry wouldn't want to leave once he remembered that Storybrooke _was_ his home. And then there was Mia…it would be easier for her to have Mia live with her here in Storybrooke than to try to get custody of the daughter she gave up in New York. She had no legal rights to Mia, but she had a feeling no one in the town created by Regina's curse would care that her daughter wasn't hers legally.

"I don't know…I'm still working on the case," Emma hedged.

"Are you going back out?"

"I've got to, yeah. You guys remember Leroy, right? He's going fishing with some buddies today. You guys want to go?" They _were_ going, whether they wanted to or not, but Emma didn't want to force them unless she absolutely had to.

Henry exchanged a look with Mia. "I'll go…because I love fishing…not because I believe you," he said pointedly.

Emma froze. "What?"

"You know you're not fooling us, right? Something's up," Henry accused.

"I'm working a case. You know how I get focused." Emma kept her tone even.

"No, it's more than that. It's this town…all these old friends you've never mentioned…"

"You mean your mom never mentioned her cellmate…the bandit?" Mia sounded amused.

"And people staring at us and whispering around us all the time," Henry continued, exchanging another look with Mia. "There's something you're not telling us."

Okay, Henry and Mia had clearly talked about this…a lot.

"It's a dirty business being a bail bondsperson. I don't want to soil your sweet head." Emma glanced at Mia and quickly corrected herself. "Heads."

"I'm not offended. I'm not sweet," Mia said flatly.

It was true…Mia wasn't sweet, at least not like Henry was. He was the sweetest kid in the world. He always saw the best in everyone and wanted to help everyone. Mia…well, Mia saw people as marks to pickpocket or take money off of at pool. But Mia _could_ be sweet - when she really wanted to be. She'd had her moments since Emma met her. The rest of the time…well, Mia was bitter…more bitter than any twelve year old should be. But she had a reason for being that way…a reason Emma understood better than anyone. Emma could even understand the stealing…though she hated that her daughter felt like she _had_ to steal. Emma would make damn sure Mia never felt like she had to do that again.

Emma let out a short laugh because at the end of the day Mia was just a kid, not a big bad like the Wicked Witch, Peter Pan or even Trey. "Oh, honey, some of the perps I've seen in my job make you look like a kitten."

Mia looked indignant. "The only way I'm like a kitten is that the claws come out when they need to."

Emma stifled a grin. Her cell phone rang, saving her from a response that would probably have only further irritated the little girl that liked to think she was tough.

"Hello?"

Any trace of a grin was wiped off her face as Emma listed to David. Apparently they found Neal and he was in the hospital. Emma hated to leave when Henry clearly did not want her to, but she knew she had to go…it was Neal...and Neal _was_ Henry and Mia's dad.

"I gotta go."

"You're not getting off that easy. What's really going on? If you can't tell me the truth, then I want to go home…back to New York," Henry demanded.

Mia looked taken aback and like she might not agree with Henry on this one. Interesting…maybe the girl didn't want to go back to New York.

"You got me, okay? Something _is_ up. And it just got even more complicated so for now can you just trust that I'm doing what's best and I'll fill you in later?" Emma pleaded.

Henry nodded. "I trust you."

Emma gave him a small smile. He didn't trust her with whatever secret he and Mia were keeping, but he _did_ trust her when it came down to it. "Thanks, Henry." She kissed the top of his head. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Henry said automatically.

Emma ruffled Mia's hair and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "See you later, kid."

"I'm not a kid!"

This time Emma didn't bother to hide her grin because her back was to the girl.

* * *

Just like David and Mary Margaret, Neal didn't remember anything from the last year. The last thing he remembered was Emma leaving Storybrooke a year ago.

Neal didn't know his dad was back – _if_ Gold really was back…they still hadn't found him if he was. He didn't know how he got the strange mark on the palm of his hand that Belle went off to research. And he didn't know that Henry didn't remember anything - including him - until Emma told him.

"My memories came back, but his - he doesn't remember anything…the curse…his old life…you."

"What does he know about his father?"

"What I knew until about a week ago, which was that you let me go to jail and never came back for us." Emma was apologetic…even though everything Henry knew _was_ still true. She just knew more about why Neal did what he did than she had a week ago.

"I didn't have a choice. You know that."

"I do know that now, but I didn't during that whole year," Emma told him.

"So my son has no clue who I really am? He just thinks I'm the jerk that abandoned him."

Emma did not want to tell Neal about Mia…not _now_ , but she knew she had to - everyone else already knew…and Mia was _his_ daughter. He deserved to hear it from her. "It's not…just Henry." She winced. "Neal, I didn't just have Henry. I had twins."

"Twins?" Neal's eyes widened in shock. "I have two kids?"

There was no going back now… "Yeah, that's what twins means. You have a daughter."

Neal ran his unmarked hand down his face as he processed it. "Look, I get why you didn't tell me about them when you were pregnant. But how could you not tell me this last year?"

Emma looked away from him. "Because you would have wanted to find her."

"You didn't?" Neal was incredulous.

"No, okay?" Emma admitted reluctantly. "You're Rumplestiltskin's son. I'm-"

"Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter."

"Well, yeah, but I was going to say the savior. We're always in danger from some villain here…Cora, Tamara, Peter Pan, and now the Wicked Witch of the West. Henry's life was here, but hers…wasn't. I wanted her to have a normal life somewhere in the real world…but she didn't. I'm sorry. I should have told you. Maybe if I had…"

"What? Maybe if you had what?"

Maybe then Trey never would have touched Mia. Emma stared straight ahead, lost in thoughts of what could have been. She hated herself for not being there to protect her daughter. "I don't know…she went through some really hard stuff in the system. Her last foster family was…bad."

"She's okay, right? _Emma_? Tell me she's okay."

Emma snapped out of her thoughts. "Yes, she's fine. She's here. Her name is Mia. She looks like Henry, but she's a lot like you - a lot like we both were when we met. She's stubborn. She has these walls up."

"That's all you."

Emma shot him a look and continued. "She runs when she's scared." They had both spent a lot of time running – some of that time together. She gave him a small smile. "And she has your skill at pool. She's pretty good."

"No? She beat you?" Neal sounded scandalized. "I taught you to play and you let a kid beat you?"

Emma laughed a little. "No, but give her a couple years and she might. She's a little hustler. She's a smart kid. She likes to read."

"I want to meet her."

"She doesn't know about you - or me…who we are. She thinks I'm trying to find her parents."

Neal stared at her. "How can you – how can you let her think that?"

"I _was_ trying to find her birth parents before my memories came back and I realized I'm her birth mom," Emma said defensively. "But Henry doesn't remember his old life…he thinks he's always been with me…and Mia knows she's been in the system for twelve years."

Neal studied her. "Who are you really trying to protect here, Emma? Our daughter or yourself?"

"What?" Emma recoiled a little.

"I don't know…I just think…maybe you're trying to protect yourself a little, too. They both think I'm the jerk that abandoned them…maybe you don't want our daughter to think of _you_ as the jerk that abandoned her."

"That's a low blow and you know it."

"I'm sorry. We both messed up. I mean…I know it wasn't just you. I left you…all of you. I had to, but…I would have come back if I had known. I would never have done to them what my father did to me. You know that, right?"

"I didn't back then, but now…yeah, I know you would have. If I wasn't alone..." Emma stopped because she didn't know what she would have done. She wanted to believe she would have kept Henry and Mia, but she didn't know…she _couldn't_ really know. That wasn't how it played out.

"We would have been together…a family. Maybe we would've made it to Tallahassee."

Emma smiled sadly. "I guess that just wasn't meant to be."

"Maybe not then, but now maybe we can be. Everything happens for a reason. You coming back now with our kids…maybe something good can come of it."

* * *

"What's wrong? You don't like fishing?"

Mia glanced at Henry and gave him a small smile. She had discarded the fishing pole Leroy gave her and was just looking out at the sea. "I don't want to catch Nemo."

"What do you think my mom's doing?"

Mia snickered. "Killian."

Henry shot her a look. "Still gross."

"Sorry," Mia muttered. "But she _was_ out all night."

"She was working."

"On what? The perp was probably sleeping…"

"You think she was lying."

Mia hesitated, not wanting to cause problems between Emma and her son. "I think…it's none of my business."

"If she's lying, she's lying to both of us."

"But she's not _my_ mom."

* * *

David glanced at Emma. "So how was Neal?"

"It was hard. Henry and Mia make it complicated. It's not just about me. He's hoping Gold can help bring back Henry's memories and we can be a family…all of us."

"You could be. Unless you don't want to?"

"Last week Henry, Mia and I were playing video games and eating pizza and ice cream. Now I am chasing after the Dark One, hoping he can help me find the Wicked Witch of the West."

They heard screaming that sounded vaguely like Gold up ahead and ran toward it – or more accurately him. It was, in fact, Gold…and he was a mess.

"Gold! Are you all right?" Emma asked.

"No. No, no, no. Not all right! Not all right! It's…I can't quiet the voices."

Emma exchanged a look with David…there were no voices. She turned back to Gold. "We know that you were held captive by the witch. Do you know where she is?"

"She's…ah! There's no room! No room! There are too many voices!" Gold was yelling over and over again. He sounded crazy.

A flying monkey attacked and Gold ran off before they could get any straight answers out of him. It seemed like he wanted to tell them where the witch was...he just couldn't.

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading and reviewing! Neal is the last person Emma will tell about Mia. Well, except for Mia and Henry, but that will be a little different. I know her telling everyone is probably getting old, but I thought she needed to be the one to tell the people she's told, especially Neal. Mia will find out Emma's her mom in the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Emma glanced over at Neal…he was fine. He was standing there looking at her. They'd been looking for Gold for a little while now and he'd been just fine.

But…Belle found the strange mark on the palm of Neal's hand in her research. It was from a key that opened the vault of the Dark One. Apparently it could have been used to resurrect Gold, but Neal should have been dead if he used it.

Almost as if on cue, Neal cried out and fell to the ground.

Emma kneeled down next to him and reached for him. Right in front of her eyes, his face transformed into Gold's face. She withdrew her hand and sat back a little. She was stunned.

Gold was yelling the same thing he'd been yelling when she and David found him before the flying monkey attacked. He kept saying there was no room and there were too many voices.

And then Neal was back and he was still crying out in pain. What the hell did he do? Gold was…inside of him somehow.

"I think…I think Gold is inside of you. I think that's how you're still alive."

"I heard my father's voice in my head. He's in there. He's in me." Neal confirmed what she was thinking.

Realization dawned on Emma. "He said there was no room…he meant you."

Neal met her gaze with determination in his eyes. "I need you to help me, Emma. Use your magic. Separate me and my father."

Emma stared at him in disbelief. "Really? You'll die."

"I know, but you need my dad more than me to figure out who the witch is…to save the town…to save yourself, Henry and – and Mia." A look of regret and longing washed over Neal's face. "You'll get Henry's memories back and he'll remember me, but Mia…I want to meet her before I die. I want her to know who her father is."

Emma looked at him sadly. "Neal…"

"Please, Emma."

Emma sighed. She couldn't say no to him - not when he was going to die for all of them…not ever really, but still… "She doesn't believe in magic. What if you turn into your dad again? It'll scare her."

"I was okay in the hospital though, right? Maybe it's just because my dad's in the woods and we're close to him," Neal mused. "I'll go back to the hospital."

"Okay, fine," Emma agreed with reluctance in her voice. "I'll take you back to the hospital and then I'll go get Mia. What are we going to tell her?"

"I…I want her to know who I am…that I'm her dad and I would have been there for her…"

"But you didn't know," Emma said with a small sigh. "I didn't tell you."

"Hey, it's not all on you, Emma. I didn't exactly leave a forwarding address when I left," Neal acknowledged.

"No…you didn't."

Neal looked down. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Emma said quietly.

"You, uh, you think our daughter will forgive us?" Neal asked anxiously.

Emma bit her bottom lip uncertainly…she was scared Mia would never forgive _her_. "I don't know," she finally said, shaking her head. "But it's not going to be us, not today…just you. If she thought I kept Henry and gave her up, she would never understand."

Neal nodded. "So what's our story?"

"I found you…you're her dad. You're dying from natural causes, but you wanted to meet her before…before you die." Emma hoped she was doing the right thing. It seemed cruel to introduce Mia to Neal when he was going to die, but Emma thought it was worse for her to never know him.

* * *

"If you're trying to take me shopping again, I'm not going. You got me enough already." Mia stared at Emma with her arms crossed in front of her, refusing to get in the yellow Bug.

"That's not…" Emma sighed, not knowing how to do this…how to tell Mia that Neal was dying. "Look, you know I've been trying to find your birth parents?"

Mia froze. Her eyes got big and round. It looked like she was holding her breath.

Emma swallowed back guilt for what she was about to tell the girl - and what she couldn't tell her…yet. "I found your birth father. His name is Neal Cassidy. But he's- well…he's sick."

"You found him? What- what do you mean sick? He's going to be okay, right?" Mia needed her to say Neal would be okay – and she really wanted to…but she couldn't.

"I'm sorry," Emma said sadly. "He…doesn't have a lot of time left, but…he wants to meet you if you're up for it."

"Oh…" Mia's face fell and it looked like she might cry.

"Do you want to meet him?" Emma wouldn't force her to if she didn't want to…not even for Neal.

Mia blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes. "I…yeah, I do," she stammered.

Emma nodded slowly. "Come on then, get in."

Mia's eyes widened. "What? Now?"

Emma knew it was now or never if she was really going to separate Neal and Gold…and that was what Neal wanted. "If you want to meet him, yeah…it has to be now."

* * *

Mia stared out the passenger window as Emma drove. She could feel the woman's eyes on her, but she didn't meet her gaze. She was fighting back tears. She wasn't going to cry in front of Emma…not about this.

Mia didn't know why she felt like she was losing her dad when she'd never really _had_ him to begin with. No, he wasn't her dad…he was just a stranger she happened to share DNA with. But why was she so upset then?

It was a short drive to the hospital. Storybrooke just wasn't that big and traffic was almost nonexistent. Emma's yellow Volkswagen Bug was one of the only cars on the road.

Mia let Emma sling an arm around her shoulder and lead her into the hospital. Emma didn't stop to ask what room Neal was in…she must have known already. The woman stopped just outside of a hospital room at the end of a long hallway.

"He's in there. Are you ready?" Emma asked gently.

Mia looked at Emma…she wanted Emma to go in with her for some reason she didn't understand…she was used to being alone – it shouldn't have bothered her. "You- you're not coming?"

Emma blinked slowly. "I…can if you want me to."

Mia nodded almost frantically. She didn't like being so…so needy, but somehow she knew Emma wouldn't say no.

"Okay, then. Let's go."

They walked into the room together. A man was sitting upright in the hospital bed. He had dark brown hair and kind brown eyes. He didn't _look_ sick. He wasn't pale – Emma and Mia were both paler than he was. He wasn't hooked up to tubes or monitors or anything. And he didn't look that old…he looked maybe a few years older than Emma.

"Mia, right?" The man…Neal – no, her father - said anxiously. He was staring at her…almost like he was trying to memorize all of her features.

Mia wanted to say something, but her mind was a complete blank. She didn't know what to say to Neal…she didn't even know him. And he was sick…he was dying. The things she really wanted to say seemed too harsh to say to someone who was dying.

"Mia, this is Neal…your father," Emma told her.

"So…you're my dad," Mia said awkwardly.

"Yeah…I am. It's nice to meet you. Sorry it took so long." Was he serious?

Mia stared at him coldly and scoffed scathingly. "Almost thirteen years is long?"

"Mia, that's not fair. He didn't know," Emma spoke up from behind her.

Mia looked from Emma to Neal. She didn't know how Emma could possibly know that or why she was defending Neal. "Is that…is that true? My mom – she didn't tell you?"

Neal hesitated, looking very conflicted. "It's…complicated. I left your mom. I didn't know she was pregnant…I never would have left if I had known…but I left her…left town. I…made it hard for her to tell me so she didn't."

As far as excuses went, Mia thought that was a lame one. "What, you didn't have cell phones back then?"

"No, I did, but…I didn't take it with me when I left. The number your mom had for me was disconnected," Neal explained.

Mia studied him carefully. "You wouldn't have left if you'd known?"

"No. My father – he abandoned me when I was a kid. I never would have done that to my kid – to you…you have to believe me," Neal said fiercely.

"I believe you, but it doesn't change anything. For almost thirteen years I've been alone…and now…I just found you and you're-" Mia bit her lip to stop herself from saying he was dying.

"It's okay…you can say it – I'm dying. You can be angry. I wouldn't blame you if you are…I know I would be."

"You're really dying?" Mia asked in a small voice. She hated how weak she sounded. "You know…all the times I thought about what it would be like if I ever met my parents, I never thought I'd meet my dad when he was on his death bed. I…don't know what to say. I just met you, like, five minutes ago and now I have to say goodbye." And she would _still_ be alone…life really wasn't fair.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't want to make things any harder on you than they already are," Neal said earnestly. "I just…wanted you to know who I am."

"Well, now I do, but I still don't know you."

"What do you want to know? You can ask me anything. Come on, you've got to have questions."

Mia had a hundred questions. She didn't know anything about her parents – who they were, why they didn't want her, how her dad had even impregnated her mom in the twenty-first century when they had inventions like the morning after pill… But it seemed like maybe…just maybe they would have kept her if her dad hadn't left her mom. "Why did you leave my mom?"

"I know this sounds stupid, but I did it for her. A, uh, friend of hers thought I was no good for her. She had this big destiny, and he thought I was stopping her."

"What big destiny? Is she, like, a famous singer or actress or something?"

"No, she was just…meant to do more than what we were doing."

Mia rolled her eyes. "What _were_ you doing?"

Neal glanced at Emma nervously. He said she could ask him anything…he didn't need Emma's permission to answer…Emma wasn't her mother.

"You said I could ask you anything," Mia said in annoyance.

"Okay, we were, uh, on the road…sleeping in a car…or a motel if we were lucky. Neither of us was exactly working."

Mia was not very impressed, but then she'd never expected to be…she didn't expect Claire and Phil Dunphy - she wouldn't be in foster care if her parents had been able to take care of her. "How old were you?"

"Seventeen…we were seventeen," Neal answered after a second.

"I knew my birth mom was Juno…except Juno actually made sure her kid had a home," Mia muttered under her breath. "Did you guys meet in high school?"

"Nope. She tried to steal my car," Neal said with a grin.

Emma shot him a look…she must think Neal was giving her ideas.

"I don't even know how to drive. I'm not going to steal a car," Mia told the woman, hoping Neal would tell her more…even if Emma didn't want him to. She _had_ to know what happened next. "She _really_ tried to steal your car?"

"Yeah, only I was sleeping in the backseat. Just our luck – a cop pulled us over. I, uh, gave her the keys and talked the cop into letting us go with a warning."

"Do you always help people who try to steal from you?" Mia asked with laughter in her voice. As far as stories of how they met went, Mia had to admit it was a good one…way better than the scenario she'd imagined of them meeting in high school. Her dad actually seemed pretty cool. She didn't want to like him…but she was starting to.

"Nah, just the pretty thieves. You got any other questions?"

"Were you in love with her?" Mia asked.

"I was, yeah. I think a part of me will always love her."

Mia chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to reconcile the man sitting in front of her who was saying he would always love her mom with the image in her head of a seventeen year old that left her mom pregnant and alone…she couldn't. "What happened the last time you saw her?"

* * *

Emma was surprised Mia wanted her to go in with her…she thought the girl would want some time alone with Neal.

When Mia started out angry, Emma tried to defend Neal. She didn't want the girl to say anything she would regret later. When Henry got his memories back, he would have good memories of Neal…Neal buying him his first slice of New York pizza, Neal showing him around Manhattan, having cocoa at Granny's, play sword fighting in Storybrooke, Neal telling him about life in the Enchanted Forest. But this…this would be Mia's only real memory of Neal – and Emma wanted it to be a good memory…for Mia and for Neal.

Neal either didn't get what she was trying to do or just wasn't going to let her because he told Mia that he left and his cell phone number was disconnected. Emma understood why he did what he did _now_ , but that didn't mean _Mia_ would understand. Mia did at least seem to believe Neal when he said he wouldn't have left if he had known about her, but she was still angry.

Neal did a pretty good job fielding Mia's questions without lying or saying anything about magic – even when he gave her destiny as his reason for leaving her. Emma was impressed, but she wasn't too surprised…Neal had always been a smooth-talker.

"I knew my birth mom was Juno…except Juno actually made sure her kid had a home," Mia said after asking how old they were. Emma flinched…her daughter was so angry and bitter. "Did you guys meet in high school?"

"Nope. She tried to steal my car," Neal said with an obnoxious shit-eating grin.

Emma shot him a look. It wasn't _his_ car…he just stole it first. She bit her tongue to stop herself from reminding him of that...Mia didn't know she was the car thief in question.

"I don't even know how to drive. I'm not going to steal a car," Mia assured her, misinterpreting the look. The girl looked at Neal eager for more. "She _really_ tried to steal your car?"

"Yeah, only I was sleeping in the backseat. Just our luck – a cop pulled us over. I, uh, gave her the keys and talked the cop into letting us go with a warning," Neal said smugly.

Mia giggled. "Do you always help people who try to steal from you?"

"Nah, just the pretty thieves. You got any other questions?"

"Were you in love with her?" Mia asked. Emma thought she knew the answer, but she really wished their twelve year old hadn't opened _that_ can of worms.

"I was, yeah. I think a part of me will always love her." Emma knew a part of her would always love him, too, but it wasn't easy to love him…it felt like every time she let herself love him, she lost him – and she knew she was going to lose him again when she separated him from Gold.

"What happened the last time you saw her?"

Emma inhaled sharply. She frantically tried to catch Neal's eye, but he was completely oblivious.

"I gave her a watch."

Little alarm bells went off in Emma's head. Mia knew she'd gone to prison for her boyfriend's crime - and she knew what the crime was. If he said anything about stealing the watches…

"You gave her a watch?" Mia repeated, giving him a quizzical look.

"Okay, I think it's time to go…your dad's sick…he needs his rest." Emma tried desperately to get Mia out of there before Neal said anything else.

"No, it's okay, Emma. She deserves to know what I did. You know how I told you I left your mom? Well, that's not the whole story." Neal winced, knowing he was the bad guy in this story. "I, uh, left her to go to prison for something I did. The watch I gave her – it was stolen...and it wasn't the only one."

Mia turned to Emma and gave her a questioning look, but Emma felt like she couldn't breathe…much less give her the answer she needed. She could almost see the girl connecting the dots. "Didn't – didn't your boyfriend do that to you?"

"You told her?" Neal had a look on his face that clearly said oh, shit. He didn't know Mia knew about the damn watches. It wasn't his fault…he couldn't have known – and Emma didn't think she had to tell him...she never thought he would tell Mia…he hadn't been happy that she told Henry. He didn't want his kids to think he was a jerk.

Mia whipped around to look at Neal. "You…know each other. Who did you impregnate when you were seventeen?"

"Me…you're my daughter," Emma finally choked out.

Mia turned to her, but wouldn't actually look at her. "How long have you known? Have you known this whole time?"

"No. I didn't know when we met."

"I don't – I don't understand. You have a kid…Henry," Mia stammered.

"Henry's…your twin. I know how hard this is to understand-"

"It's…not actually," Mia cut her off with hurt in her voice. "I'm not that good at math, but I've got addition and subtraction down. You had two kids. You gave up one kid. Now you have one kid."

Mia turned to run, but Emma knew she would run and had strategically positioned herself in between the girl and the door. She caught the girl's thin arm when she tried to push past her and held her there gently. "Hey-"

"Don't touch me!" Mia shrieked. She tried unsuccessfully to pull her arm free from Emma's hand.

Emma adjusted her grip a little – not hard enough to bruise…just enough that the girl wouldn't be able to break away no matter how hard she pulled. "Whoa, wait a minute. There's someone dangerous in Storybrooke…people have been disappearing. We don't have to talk, but you can't run, okay?"

"No, it's not okay. Let me go. You did it once before…it shouldn't be that hard to do it again." Mia's voice cracked with emotion.

Emma looked her straight in the eyes, hoping her daughter would know she meant this. "And I regret it. I'm not going to do it again."

Mia glared. "You can't keep me here. That's kidnapping."

"You're _our_ kid," Neal reminded her.

"I'm not your kid…I'm not anyone's kid. I'm property of the government." Mia had tears in her eyes and the most heartbreaking expression Emma had ever seen.

"If you don't want to be with us right now, you can spend some time with Mary Margaret," Emma said carefully. She wanted to scream that Mia was _her_ kid, but she knew how Mia felt all-too-well. Her daughter had been alone for twelve years plus. She'd never had parents. She may have Emma now – for all of five minutes, but the little girl felt like what she'd always been - an orphan. It was how Emma felt in Neverland…how she _still_ felt sometimes – a lot of the time actually. Emma was going to be the girl's mom now, but it would take time for Mia to feel like a daughter…time Emma knew she had to give her.

"I don't need a fucking babysitter."

"Hey," Neal said, looking shocked by the harsh language coming from a little girl. Emma wasn't…she'd heard Mia talk like that before – well, not exactly like that, but close enough. "Emma's right. It's not safe for you out there alone."

"Mia, I know it's hard for you to see it, but I'm just trying to protect you. That's what mothers do. Please let me do it," Emma pleaded.

"Go protect Henry," Mia muttered bitterly.

Emma knew it would be hard no matter when Mia found out, but it was even harder because she thought Emma kept Henry and gave her up. She wanted to explain, but she didn't know _how_ to explain when neither kid believed in magic. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I can protect both of you."

"Oh, _now_ you want to protect me? It's too late. Where were you when I was living with Trey? Or…when I was eleven and my foster mom broke my arm?"

"Who the hell is Trey?" Neal asked in a low, dangerous voice.

Mia's eyes widened and she shook her head ever-so-slightly…she did _not_ want Emma to answer that. Emma nodded…she wasn't going to lose what little trust her kid might have in her by telling a secret that wasn't hers to tell.

"You're right. I didn't protect you then, but I can protect you now - and I'm going to. I couldn't live with myself if anything else happened to you and I could have stopped it." Emma didn't know if she could live with herself as it was.

Mia took a deep breath. It looked like she was steeling herself for something. "Did you ever…think about keeping me?"

"Yes, I did," Emma said without hesitation.

"You kept Henry...obviously. I mean, is it – is it because I was sick?"

"You were sick?" Neal asked with concern in his voice.

Mia glanced at him. It looked like she was a little touched by the concern. "I…had this thing with my lungs. I was in the hospital for a little while…no one wants a sick baby. I'm fine now, but that's why I was never adopted."

Emma remembered seeing something about that in the girl's medical records. It explained a lot. Emma had asked questions because she didn't want her kids to go through what she had in the system - and what Mia had been through anyway. They had told her they had a great adoptive family lined up for Henry _and_ Mia. "They had a family lined up for you…I didn't – I didn't know it didn't work out."

Mia was back to not looking at her. "Well, it didn't. I want to go. I'll go with Mary Margaret or whoever…I just want to go."

"Yeah, I'll drop you off."

"Wait!" Neal called out. "Look, I know I'm the jerk that abandoned you, but I'm still your father. This could be my last chance to give you fatherly advice."

"Seriously?" Mia scoffed. "Advice from a jewelry thief?"

Emma arched an eyebrow. "Really? You're judging him for stealing? Something tells me you've picked more than a few pockets."

"No…I'm judging him for letting you go to prison for it."

"He did that to me, not you. And for the record, I've forgiven him."

Neal cleared his throat nervously. "It, uh, took a long time before I could forgive my dad for what he did to me. I spent a lot of time running from him and when he found me, I didn't want anything to do with him. You don't have to forgive me, Mia - I'm not saying that…I've never forgiven myself for what I did to your mom and you and Henry. I know forgiveness ain't easy. I regret it now…all that time wasted when I was alone and I could've had a family. You don't have to be alone anymore. You don't have to forgive us – either of us. You can be angry. You can hate us. But don't walk away from this chance to have a family. In this life, family is the only thing that matters."

"I don't hate you…I could never hate you," Mia whispered. "But...I don't forgive you…I don't know if I ever will. I'm sorry."

"That's okay…you don't need to be sorry." Neal studied Mia. "You, uh, think I can have a hug before you go?"

Mia nodded. Emma let go of her arm and stood back as the girl walked over to the hospital bed and gave Neal a tentative hug. It looked like she was afraid she'd hurt him, but Neal held her tightly against his chest and murmured something Emma couldn't hear into her ear. Emma knew he was saying goodbye.

 **Author's Note:** Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. As you can see, I tweaked the Neal storyline a little, but he is still going to die. I had a few ideas as to how Mia would find out Emma was her mom, but I liked this one the best and hope you guys liked how it played out. I'd love to hear what you think. Sorry Henry was missing from this chapter. He's an important part of this story and I wanted to add in at least one scene with him, but I thought it was a little too long as is and this was a good place to end it. I'm going to change things up a little bit with what Emma tells him about what's going on and it will give him some drama, too.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

This was unbelievable. Mia couldn't wrap her head around it…Emma _had_ a kid – a kid that was _her_ age – her twin apparently. Who did _that_? Who had twins and only gave one away? She could almost understand if Emma had given them both away… _almost_. She still would have been angry, but she wouldn't have been this…hurt. She knew Emma was a teenager when she had Henry…and apparently her - a teenager who had been in jail. But to keep Henry and only give her away - like she wasn't good enough…it made her feel like she didn't matter to Emma at all. It was a horrible feeling.

Mia didn't want to be there anymore. The hospital room felt too small for her _and_ her birth mother. She didn't want to see her and she didn't want to talk to her. She was almost out the door when she felt Emma's hand on her arm. She tried to pull away, but Emma just tightened her hold. She gave up fighting against her after a few seconds and just stood there, barely hearing what the woman was saying to her.

"No, it's not okay. Let me go. You did it once before…it shouldn't be that hard to do it again." Mia thought Emma would let her go then, but she didn't…she said she wasn't going to let her go again.

Mia just wanted to be alone, but she realized quickly the only way she was getting away from Emma was if she went to Mary Margaret's...like she needed a babysitter - more like a warden. She finally agreed to go to Mary Margaret's just to get out of there and away from Emma - and the painfully awkward conversation they were having. She had more questions, but…she didn't think there was anything Emma could say that would make her feel better – and she was afraid the woman would say something that would actually make her feel even worse than she already did – if that was even possible.

Neal tried to give her advice before she left. He thought she hated them, but he didn't want her to walk away from this chance to have a family…a family with Emma and Henry. She didn't hate them. She _couldn't_. But she didn't know if she could forgive them either.

"I don't hate you…I could never hate you," Mia whispered. "But...I don't forgive you…I don't know if I ever will. I'm sorry."

"That's okay…you don't need to be sorry. You, uh, think I can have a hug before you go?"

Emma _finally_ let go of her. She walked over to Neal numbly and let him pull her against his chest. She was stiff at first…but it wasn't like when Trey held her. For starters, Neal's hands were a lot higher and they were nowhere near her butt. And he smelled like a strange combination of the woods and hospital instead of beer and cigarettes. She tried to relax and actually enjoy the feeling of being safe in her father's arms…for once. She knew it was a goodbye hug. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to cry. He was kind of a jerk, but he was still her dad…and that meant something to her. It was why she couldn't hate him…no matter how much she hated what he did thirteen years ago.

"You're gonna be okay, kid. I'll be watching over you from somewhere. Sorry it took so long, but you've got a home now for as long as you want one. Family is forever."

Mia kept her head down as she walked back toward Emma. She didn't want her to see the tears that had formed in her eyes. She felt the woman's hand on her shoulder and immediately shrugged it off.

The woman kept annoyingly close to her as they left the hospital…she probably thought she'd run. Every instinct she had _was_ telling her to run before Emma hurt her any more than she already had. But for the first time in a long time, her heart was saying something different. Mia didn't know what she was going to do.

The car ride to Mary Margaret and David's apartment was completely silent. Mia did _not_ want to talk to Emma - and Emma knew it.

* * *

Zelena ignored the distrustful look the Savior gave her and busied herself in the kitchen where she could hear everything the Savior and Snow White – or Mary Margaret here – were saying, but it wouldn't _look_ like she was listening in. She did have to strain to hear because Emma and Mary Margaret kept their voices low, but she managed to catch the gist of the conversation.

"What is she doing here?" Emma asked with a not-so-subtle glance in Zelena's general direction.

Mary Margaret frowned. "I called her. I was worried about the baby."

Emma shifted uncomfortably and looked away. "Can you watch Mia for me?"

Zelena followed Emma's gaze to the little girl who was sitting on the couch. She knew the Savior had a son…the little boy _her_ own sister adopted, but she didn't know who this girl was. She had seen her the first time she spoke to Mary Margaret, but hadn't paid her much attention at the time.

"If Mia's as much like me as I think she is, she'll run if she has a chance," Emma warned Mary Margaret in a low voice. "Don't give her one."

"I don't understand…why would she run?" Mary Margaret whispered.

"Because…she knows she's my daughter."

"You told her?" Mary Margaret said excitedly.

"About me – yes. She knows who her parents are and that Henry is her brother."

Zelena studied the girl in question detachedly…she did have an uncanny resemblance to her sister's adopted son.

"She doesn't know who you are. I don't know how to explain that her grandparents and I are the same age," Emma continued.

"Oh, Emma…I thought she'd be happy she found her parents."

Well, _that_ was certainly interesting…the Savior had a long-lost daughter…one who apparently wasn't very happy to be found. This had possibilities…

"She's not happy. She's scared – scared I'll leave her again, scared I'll hurt her…just scared."

Zelena decided she'd heard plenty. She slipped over to the couch and gestured to the cushion next to the Savior's daughter. "May I?"

The little girl eyed her warily, but eventually shrugged. Zelena took that as an invitation to sit down. She didn't let it bother her that the girl wasn't in the mood for company. "I don't know if you remember me…"

"Zelena, right? Mary Margaret's…midwife or whatever."

"Yes. Forgive me…I don't think we've been properly introduced. You are…?"

"Mia," the girl said shortly.

"So…how do you know Mary Margaret, Mia?"

"She's _babysitting_ me," the girl said with a surprising amount of bitterness in her voice. Oh, she _was_ angry indeed – and she did _not_ seem to think she needed a babysitter.

Zelena tried to look sympathetic and understanding. "You _do_ look a little old to have a babysitter."

The girl looked at her in surprise, apparently not having expected her to agree. She seemed glad to have someone agree with her and warmed up the tiniest bit, venting her frustration. "I know, right? I'm almost thirteen. I've _been_ a babysitter."

"Really? And your mother still won't leave you home alone?"

"Oh, she's, uh…she's not…um-" The girl glanced over her shoulder at Emma and Mary Margaret and then turned back to her with a small sigh. "Did Mary Margaret tell you Emma was my mother?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed."

* * *

After dropping Mia off with Mary Margaret, Emma and Neal were back in the woods. They were where they had been last time…when Neal turned into Gold.

Emma gave Neal a questioning look. "So what was that…back in the hospital? I thought you didn't want her to think you were a jerk."

"I know…I didn't, but I don't want her to think you're a jerk either. If knowing what I did back then helps her understand why you gave her up…" Neal shrugged.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, I did. She needs you, Emma. She needs a family. Don't stop fighting for her…even if she fights like hell against you."

"Mia and Henry need _you_ , too. Are you sure you want to do this?" Emma knew _she_ didn't want to.

"Yeah…they need me to do this so you can save them."

"I've never done anything like this before…not this big," Emma said uncertainly.

"Do it to save you and Henry and Mia. Do it. Please."

Emma grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. She closed her eyes and thought of Henry and Mia…of the life they could have in New York after she found the wicked witch. Her magic only worked when it was motivated by emotion – usually her overwhelming need to protect her family…the family she hadn't had for twenty-eight years. She felt that now…and she felt her magic working.

Neal cried out and fell to the ground again…just like he had last time they were in the woods.

Emma felt a strong tug on her hand as he dropped to the ground. Her eyes flew open and she stumbled slightly as she was pulled down next to him, never once letting go of his hand. "Neal!" She maneuvered him into a more comfortable position where his head was resting in her lap and she was holding him. "Neal, are you okay?"

"What have you done?" Gold demanded. He had appeared outside of Neal…which meant her magic worked – Neal was separated from his father…and he would die.

Emma couldn't hold back her tears…she had _just_ found him and she was losing him – _again_. It was too hard…it hurt too much – this was why she wouldn't let herself be with him.

"It's okay, Papa…I told her to." Neal tried to defend her.

"But why?" Gold questioned.

"So you can tell her who the witch is so you can defeat her," Neal explained.

"Zelena," Gold answered immediately.

Mary Margaret's midwife was the wicked witch…what? Shit, that would be the same midwife that was in the apartment with Mary Margaret and…Mia. Oh, shit… "What? What does she want?"

"What she doesn't have." Okay…that was not helpful, but that was Gold…he almost never gave real answers. But she would have time to figure that out later. Neal _didn't_ have time.

Emma looked down at Neal…his face was so pale. "There has to be some way you can save him, right?"

"It's too late, Emma," Neal said. It sounded like he had already given up.

"Just hang in there please. You never even had a chance to see Henry…for him to remember you." Emma hoped he would fight for Henry if not for her.

"It's okay. I just want him – them – to know that in the end I was a good father. I saved this for you to give to you again. Take it." Neal withdrew a silver chain from his pocket slowly…it was the swan keychain he gave her that she'd worn as a necklace. "Go find Tallahassee…even if it's without me…"

Emma felt her heart breaking all over again. "Neal."

"Hey, I'll be watching over you guys from somewhere. Promise me - just promise me you guys will be happy."

Emma leaned down to rest her head on top of his. "I promise."

* * *

Mia was taking a nap in the loft bedroom at the apartment and Zelena was nowhere to be found. The witch had gone out the bathroom window…she must have known they were on to her. Regina was putting a protection spell up around the apartment so she couldn't come back.

"Speaking of magic…any luck replicating the memory potion?" Emma asked.

"No. There was nothing left to replicate after my last attempt."

"Oh. Want to put on a magic show for Henry?"

Regina narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"I want to tell him the truth about everything, but he'll never believe it if he doesn't believe in magic," Emma explained.

Regina arched an eyebrow. " _Everything_?"

"Yes…you, his life here, Mia."

Regina eyed her suspiciously. "Why the sudden desire to tell the truth? Last time I checked, you were getting good at lying."

Emma sighed. "Yeah, well, lies have a way of coming out. Mia kind of figured out that I'm her mom. I need to tell Henry he has a sister. He deserves to know. And besides he knows something's up. He's been asking questions about Storybrooke and the people here."

"I didn't raise a fool," Regina said with a little bit of pride in her voice.

"No, you didn't. He's smart. But this isn't like last time…last time _he_ believed. _I_ didn't. I thought the curse was crazy."

"How did you believe?" Regina asked.

"I didn't…not until Henry ate the apple turnover you gave me."

"Not one of my finer moments," Regina acknowledged. "And not an option this time."

"Right. But this is still Henry we're talking about. And he's still the truest believer. It didn't take a poisoned apple turnover for him to believe. He believed because of the book…the storybook."

"The storybook was swept away by the last curse. It's not in his room anymore. I already looked. I do have something that might help though," Regina mused.

"What?"

"Pictures of his life with me from the moment I adopted him to the moment the two of you crossed the town line. I have pictures of every birthday and every Christmas. It may not prove the existence of magic, but it will prove that he had a life here that he doesn't remember."

* * *

"Hey, kid. How was it?" Emma asked as Henry buckled his seatbelt.

"It was awesome. We should take more fishing trips when we get back home. Hey, where's Mia?"

"Mia's…with Mary Margaret."

"She doesn't like fishing, huh?"

"It's, uh, not that…it's – I needed to talk to her about something, and she needs some time to deal with it."

"Did you find her parents?"

Emma stilled. "What makes you think that?"

"I know you're looking for them…and you wanted to talk to her alone. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Emma nodded slowly. "I did actually."

"Then…why is she with Mary Margaret? Why isn't she with her parents?" Henry questioned innocently.

"It's complicated, Henry."

Henry frowned. "They didn't want her…did they?"

"No, it's not that. It's like I said…she just needs some time to deal with it. You trust me, right?"

Henry nodded. "I trust you, Mom. What's this about?"

"You were right - I haven't been completely honest with you about this trip. I'm going to tell you everything, but it's going to be hard for you to swallow. It's…a lot to ask anyone to believe in. You're going to need proof. Will you come somewhere with me?"

"Of course."

Henry recognized the large white house Emma parked in front of. "Why are we at the mayor's house? Mom, what's going on?"

"You'll see. Come on."

Regina was waiting for them and opened the door before they even made it to the front porch. "Henry…hi," she said nervously. "Come in."

"Hi," Henry said politely though he eyed Regina a little suspiciously.

Regina led the way into the living room and they all sat down. They had agreed that they should tell Henry together, but Emma was the only mother that Henry remembered and she had to be the one to start the conversation.

Emma looked at the thick leather-bound photo album on the coffee table. Regina inclined her head slightly…it was the photo album they had talked about. Emma picked it up and gave it to Henry.

Henry stared at it. "A book? Why are you giving me this?"

"It's actually a photo album and it has pictures of you in it," Emma told him.

"Yeah? Why does the mayor have it?"

"Because you were with her when these pictures were taken."

Henry glanced at Regina and then turned to Emma. "I don't understand. Did I know her when I was a baby or something? Is she another old friend?"

"Kind of, but it's more complicated than that."

As Henry flipped through the photo album, confusion washed over him. "Mom? Why aren't you in any of these pictures?"

"Because I wasn't there."

Henry looked a little frustrated. "You're not making any sense right now."

"I know." Emma looked over Henry's shoulder…it looked like he was about seven or eight in the picture the album was open to. He was wearing a long-sleeve shirt with a reindeer on it and red and green flannel pajama pants. He was opening Christmas presents with a big grin on his face. "I know you don't remember any of this, but it happened. The pictures are real, Henry…it's your memories that aren't real."

"What are you saying?" Henry asked with frustration in his voice. "Whatever you have to tell me, just tell me!"

Emma took a deep breath, hoping Henry believed in her enough to hear her out. If either of her kids were going to believe, it would be him. He believed in the curse when no one else did. He _was_ the truest believer. "Do you believe in me?"

"Yes, of course I do, but I know you've been lying to me since we got here…and I know there's something you're _still_ not telling me."

"I'm sorry I was keeping things from you. You were right – you deserve to know the truth, but I need you to believe in me…and I need you to believe in magic."

"Magic?" Henry said skeptically.

Emma nodded. "Magic is real. It would...be easier if Regina showed you."

"Showed me what?"

"Magic," Regina answered. "Look at me, Henry."

Henry turned to Regina reluctantly. He watched as a puff of purple smoke appeared over the woman's right hand. When the smoke cleared, there was a red apple in her previously empty hand.

"Cool trick," Henry acknowledged. "But-"

Regina shook her head. "It's not a trick." The woman disappeared in another puff of purple smoke and reappeared right in front of the couch. She knelt down in front of Henry. "It's magic. You have to believe."

Henry's eyes went wide. He backed away from Regina, instinctively moving closer to Emma on the couch.

Emma wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I know how hard this is to understand, but magic _is_ real, kid. You thought it was weird that I have all these old friends I never mentioned. Well, I didn't remember them until a week ago, but I know them…and you do, too."

"I just don't remember them?" Henry still didn't sound like he believed.

Emma's heart sank…she needed him to believe. "No, you don't. There's a reason why Regina has all these pictures of you and I don't have any pictures of us that are more than a year old."

"The fire," Henry said.

"No. That…wasn't real. The last year in New York was real, but the rest of your memories - they're not real. Regina – she gave both of us fake memories." Emma tried to explain.

"Why would she do that?" Henry demanded. "I'm not saying I believe you…but if it's true, why would anyone do that?"

"A curse was coming. You and Emma were able to escape it. I…wanted you to be happy," Regina said with a sad smile.

"But _why_?"

"Because that's what mothers want for their kids," Emma told him. "You know I had you when I was in prison? Well, I gave you up…and Regina adopted you. You're her son, too."

Henry looked from Emma to Regina. "If that's true – if you're really my mom, you would know things about me."

"I know everything about you. Your name is Henry Daniel Mills. Henry was my father's name…he was the person I loved the most in the world. And Daniel – Daniel was the name of my first love. Your birthday is August 15th. You've always liked to read. You like games…board games, video games – any games really. You were always the dog when we played Monopoly. You've always loved animals, especially dogs. You asked for one for Christmas when you were six. Santa brought you an enormous stuffed dog," Regina said with a fond smile. "Your favorite color is blue."

"The room upstairs – the one with blue walls? Was it…mine?" Henry questioned.

Regina looked a little surprised, but nodded. "It _is_ your room."

Emma looked at Henry with hope in her eyes. "Does that mean – do you believe?"

"I believe in you…both of you." Henry turned to Regina. "You knew what I liked when you gave me and Mia a tour. You knew my favorite ice cream was Cherry Vanilla and you knew I like Marvel comics. I may not remember any of this, but you do, don't you? I can tell you care about me."

"I do," Regina said softly.

Henry glanced at Emma. "Is it okay if I spend some time getting to know my other mom tonight?"

"Yeah, but there's, uh…one more thing I need to tell you. Mia's your sister…your twin sister. I didn't know that when I brought her home. I just thought she was in the system like I was when I was a kid and maybe I could help her. I didn't remember having a daughter until I got my memories back a week ago. That's when I figured it out."

Henry frowned. "If you've known for a week, why are you just telling me now?"

"It would have been easier to tell you and Mia everything when you get your memories back, but it was wrong to keep it from you guys as long as I did. I'm sorry."

Henry blinked. "How do I get my memories back?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm-" Emma glanced at Regina. " _We're_ trying to find a way to get your memories back."

"If there's a way, you'll find it. I believe in you. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me the truth," Henry said.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Mia didn't know how long she'd been lying awake in the bed in the loft bedroom at Mary Margaret's apartment, but it felt like a long time. She would have gone out the window, but it was behind the bed. She couldn't get to the security locks on the window with the bed pushed up against the window and she couldn't move the bed…she already tried.

Mia heard footsteps and recognized the distinctive sound of Emma's boots on the metal stairs. Mary Margaret had come up to check on her earlier and her footsteps were lighter. Mia rolled over so she was facing away from the stairwell and closed her eyes. The footsteps approached the foot of the bed and then stopped. She could feel the woman staring at her. She tried to stay still.

"I know you're not asleep. You're faking because you don't want to talk to me."

Mia shut her eyes even tighter and held her breath, hoping the woman would leave her alone if she didn't acknowledge her. No such luck. She felt the bed shift under the woman's weight and stiffened next to her.

"You don't have to talk to me, but maybe you can just listen?" Mia would have rolled her eyes if they were open. "I was seventeen when I found out I was pregnant…eighteen when I had you and Henry. And I was in prison. Not exactly prime parent material."

Mia knew that already…she didn't know why Emma was telling her what Neal had already told her at the hospital.

"The only thing I had when I got out of prison was my car. I didn't think your best shot was living with me in the backseat of a car…I thought you deserved more than that – more than me. I didn't have parents. I was afraid…I didn't know how to be a parent. I was a screw up, not a mother." But that wasn't true…Emma had been a mother to Henry – a pretty good one.

"About what you said at the hospital…about me not being there for you when you were with Trey or any of the other foster parents that hurt you? You're right - I wasn't there and I should have been. I never wanted you to grow up like I did…I never wanted you to be alone."

Mia had to blink back tears. She could feel the intensity of Emma's gaze on her. Well, if there had been any doubt before, the woman knew she was awake now. She rolled onto her back and reluctantly looked up at the woman. Emma's eyes were begging her to understand, but she didn't understand…she didn't understand at all.

"You say you didn't want me to be alone, but you knew what it was like in the system. How could you give me up to nothing when you knew? You _knew_ …" Mia hated how her voice cracked.

"I…didn't think I was giving you up to nothing. They told me they had a great family for you…a family that could take much better care of you than I could have back then. I believed them. I _had_ to believe them. I couldn't even take care of myself…much less two kids. That's right – two kids. You were wrong about one thing back at the hospital – I didn't keep Henry and give you up."

Mia frowned. "Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't. I gave you both up to give you guys your best shot. Henry found me when he was ten. His adoptive mom and I kind of share him now."

Mia tried to process that, but it just created more confusion…and more questions – questions she wanted to ask, but was too afraid to. She rolled back over onto her side so she was facing away from her birth mom. "I don't want to talk to you. Just - leave me alone."

* * *

Mia rolled away from her. "I don't want to talk to you. Just – leave me alone."

Emma felt her heart breaking for her daughter. She swallowed back her own hurt. "I'm not going to do that…but I won't push you to talk if you don't want to." She was going to tell Mia more…she was going to tell her everything she told Henry, but Mia wasn't ready for any of that.

They stayed there in silence as thick as the quilt covering the bed for a little while. They were lying next to each other on the bed, but it felt like they couldn't be any further apart. The uncomfortable silence was only broken when the girl's stomach growled.

"You hungry?" Emma got no response. "How about we get some dinner from Granny's? I promise…no talking about this – us."

Mia sat up a little in the bed and eyed her warily. "No talking."

"I'll take that as a yes," Emma muttered under her breath.

Emma said a quick goodbye to David and Mary Margaret and then ushered Mia out. They walked to Granny's and slid into the booth across from each other without a word.

Emma wished Henry was there. This was going to be a really long night if Mia continued giving her the silent treatment. That was apparently what she got for telling her that she wouldn't push her to talk, but the girl wouldn't even look at her. Instead, the girl stared at her menu until Ruby came over to take their order. Emma stifled a small smile when her daughter ordered her favorite…grilled cheese and onion rings. Mia shot her an annoyed look when she ordered the same thing…like the kid thought she was just ordering the same thing to try to bond with her or something.

"What? I've been having grilled cheese and onion rings since before you were born."

"What happened to no talking?"

"That's not exactly what I said. I said no talking about us. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to talk about food."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Where's Henry?"

Emma was startled by the question. She wasn't allowed to talk, but apparently Mia was. "He's…with his…other mom," she said a little awkwardly.

Mia raised her eyebrows. "Two moms that want to spend time with him? Lucky him. Does he…know?"

"That you're my daughter…his sister? Yes."

"How long has he known?" Mia stared at her with a stone-cold expression…almost like she was daring her to say the wrong thing.

"I told him after I told you." Emma didn't think Mia could find anything wrong with that, but she did…

Mia scoffed. " _You_ told me? Really? Because I could have sworn Neal told me when he told me about the stupid watches. I still wouldn't know if it were up to you. I mean…were you ever going to tell me, Emma?"

Okay, apparently they were talking about it… "Yes, of course. It just…would have been easier once this case is solved."

Mia snorted in disbelief. "Right…the case. How _is_ Killian?"

Emma narrowed her eyes. "I did not come here for Killian. I came here for the case."

"Yeah, the case you're helping Killian with..."

Emma eyed Mia, not sure she liked the smirk on her face. "You have a problem with Killian?"

"No…not with Killian."

Just with _her_ then. Emma sighed…this was going to be a really long night. "Okay, do you want to talk about what's going on with us or not? Because I am ready to have that conversation whenever you are."

"I'm not," Mia said flatly.

"Could have fooled me," Emma muttered under her breath. The few times Mia had opened her mouth it was to take shots at her – shots she couldn't even try to defend herself against…not without talking about things Mia didn't want to talk about.

They went back to sitting in complete and total silence. Mia was studying her fingernails and avoiding eye contact at all costs. It was a relief when Ruby brought their food over, but Mia just picked at hers.

Emma cleared her throat. "I thought you were hungry?"

"Yeah, well…I'm not." Mia pushed her plate away and stood up. "I'm just going to go back to the room."

Emma stood, too, and stepped in front of her kid. "Uh, not by yourself you're not."

Mia stared. "Seriously? Overprotective much? We're _in_ Granny's. No one's going to get me in between here and the room."

"Maybe not, but in the five minutes it'll take me to pay, you could run out on me. I would find you and bring you back," Emma said matter-of-factly. "But I won't need to do that if you stay put."

"For someone who's so good at finding people, you've never been interested in finding me before," Mia muttered, but she grudgingly sat back down in a big huff.

Emma slid back into the booth across from Mia and tried to explain…without mentioning the curses or evil villains that had pretty much been a constant since Henry found her. "I didn't think that finding you was what was best for you. Henry was adopted. I thought it was weird that you guys weren't together, but I had no reason to think you weren't adopted, too. They had a family for you and there were these waiting lists with families that wanted to adopt newborns."

" _You_ were never adopted," Mia mumbled quietly. Okay, clearly she wasn't accepting that explanation.

Emma took a deep breath and tried to stay strong and unemotional. "I was actually. I was adopted and I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own kid so they sent me back. Mia, if you had a family…if you were happy, I didn't want to screw that up for you."

Mia met her gaze. "You could have checked."

Emma sighed. "I could have done a lot of things different – better - where you're concerned, but I didn't. I'm sorry. Just don't push me away. I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

"You already did," Mia whispered, lowering her gaze to the table. "I don't know if I can let you in."

Great…her daughter had walls up to keep her out - the same kind of walls she had, but David and Mary Margaret got past her walls…she would get past Mia's somehow.

* * *

Regina looked over Henry's shoulder at the photo album and smiled fondly. "That was taken on your tenth birthday. You wanted to go camping. We did…in the living room. We made s'mores."

"Cool," Henry said. "So I grew up here? I lived here until I was ten?"

"Eleven actually. That's when the curse hit. How do you feel about…all of this?"

"It's weird," Henry said after a moment. "Not remembering any of it. But I always thought it would be nice to have a bigger family and now I do."

"You always wanted a sibling."

Henry looked at her curiously. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything, Henry."

"You adopted me, right?"

Regina nodded, unsure where he was going with this.

"Why didn't you adopt my sister, too?"

Regina let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. "The adoption agency didn't tell me you were a twin. Otherwise I would have."

"Oh…"

"Is pizza still your favorite?" Regina changed the subject.

Henry nodded. "But New York has the best pizza."

"Well, it may not be the big city, but you always used to like making homemade pizza."

Henry blinked in surprise. "I'm…not much of a cook. I almost burned our apartment in New York down when I tried to bake a cake for my mom's birthday," he admitted sheepishly.

Regina arched her eyebrows. "Almost?"

"The smoke detector went off, but there was no fire," Henry explained.

* * *

Mia went straight into the bathroom. Emma flinched ever-so-slightly when the door slammed shut behind her. She texted Henry to see if he still wanted to stay at Regina's, hoping he would come back to Granny's instead because at least Mia didn't hate him. She pushed her disappointment aside when he responded that he'd see her tomorrow.

Mia banged around in the bathroom for a little over ten minutes. She was wearing the t-shirt and yoga pants she had borrowed from Emma to sleep in when she finally emerged. She had pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail and Emma caught a faint minty smell. She walked past Emma without a word and got into bed.

"Goodnight," Emma muttered.

Emma wasn't surprised when she got no response. She got up with a sigh and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Mia was already sleeping – for real this time – when Emma finished in the bathroom.

Emma decided to take Henry's bed for the night instead of the couch. The bed was a little more comfortable, but she still couldn't sleep. She was too worried about Mia and Henry.

Emma had finally started drifting off and wasn't really in a deep sleep yet when something woke her. It took her a second to realize it was Mia…and Mia was having a nightmare… _again_. She frowned, wondering if the girl had been having nightmares every night. She didn't know…she'd been out looking for the wicked witch almost every night since they got there.

"Mia?" Emma called gently. Nothing. "Mia? Mia!"

Mia came out of her nightmare slowly. She blinked and then scrunched her face up in confusion, looking around the room before struggling upright into a sitting position. She sat there, breathing heavily.

"Nightmare?" Emma prompted.

"No, I just-" Mia must have realized Emma wasn't buying it because she sighed. "Yeah."

"Trey's in jail…in New York. He can't hurt you."

"It wasn't about that, _okay_?"

"Okay," Emma said quietly…even though she knew Mia was lying.

Mia shook her head and huffed angrily.

"What?"

"I just…I never would have told you that if I knew who you were."

"If you don't want to talk to me about it, maybe it would help to talk to someone else," Emma said tentatively.

Mia stared. "Like who? Like a shrink? I'm not crazy!"

"I didn't say you were…I don't think you are," Emma assured her. "I just hate that you're still having these nightmares and I don't know how to help you."

"Not by sending me to some stupid shrink!"

"Okay, okay. We'll find another way."

"There's no we. I didn't ask for your help…I don't _want_ your help."

"Well, you've got it…whether you want it or not."

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading and reviewing! Some of you asked why Regina didn't adopt Mia in reviews for earlier chapters. I started thinking about how it would have played out if Regina _had_ adopted Mia and…well, the result is below. If you're not interested, you won't miss anything by not reading.

* * *

"Come with me. Please," Henry begged. "I know you don't believe me about the curse, but she's still our mom."

Mia looked at her brother sadly, knowing he was just going to get hurt. "She's not…our mom. She didn't want us when we were born. Why would she want us now? She's just going to hurt you."

"You want to meet her…I can tell. You're just scared."

Mia bristled a little. "I'm _not_ scared. I'm just…not interested."

Henry looked like he was resigning himself to going alone. "It's okay…she's going to come back here with me. You can meet her then. You're going to cover for me with Ms. Blanchard, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah…you might not be her favorite anymore if she knew you stole her credit card and skipped school to go on an unauthorized field trip to Boston."

Henry ignored her sarcasm. "Just tell her I'm home sick."

"I know. We _have_ done this before…just – usually the roles are reversed. You're supposed to be the good twin. I finally corrupted you." Mia smiled proudly.

"We're both good," Henry said earnestly.

Mia scoffed. "I think Mom and Ms. Blanchard and, oh, Principal Daly might disagree."

"I know you're good. And so is our mom."

Mia blinked. "I thought she was the Evil Queen?"

"Not her!" Henry said irritably. "Our _real_ mom."

"You don't know her," Mia said flatly. "She might not be good. She could be a total psycho or a serial killer for all we know."

"She's a bail bondsperson." Mia gave him a questioning look and he shrugged. "I Googled her."

That was actually kind of cool, but Mia tried to act unimpressed. "So she's a bail bondsperson…that doesn't mean she's good."

"She literally catches bad guys. She's going to save everyone."

"From what? Dying of boredom? Henry, she didn't want us. She's not going to save us from anything."

"She is. You'll see," Henry said insistently.

"I just don't want her to hurt you," Mia said softly.

"She's not gonna," Henry said confidently. "She's our mom."

* * *

It was late and the only light came from the streetlights. Mia stood in a dark alleyway where she could peek around the corner to see anyone that got off the idling bus, but they wouldn't be able see her. The only problem was that no one was actually getting off the bus.

Storybrooke was a small town with one bed-and-breakfast and no tourist attractions. They didn't have a movie theater or a mall…or, well, much of anything. Mia knew it wouldn't exactly be a popular stop, but there should have been at least one person getting off there…her brother. It was the last bus back from Boston for the night.

Henry was so sure their birth mother would come back to Storybrooke with him. Mia wasn't.

Mia watched helplessly as the engine turned over loudly and the bus pulled away from the stop at a slow creep. Where was Henry? Was he alone in Boston? She should have gone with him…he asked her to go with him – several times in fact.

Mia could imagine her overly optimistic brother who always saw the best in everyone getting in the car with a complete stranger. She should have been there to stop him from doing something stupid. She just should have been there…the way Henry was always there for her.

Mia started the short walk home, hoping her brother would be there. She hadn't gone home after school because she didn't want to face Regina's wrath alone. Even though _she_ wasn't the one that hopped a bus to Boston, she knew that wouldn't stop Regina from taking her anger out on her. Regina took her anger out on her a lot lately…or maybe she was really just that angry at her… _still_ – for something that had happened months ago…something that she hadn't meant to do…something that would never have even happened if Regina hadn't been lying to them for ten years.

 _"Watch for Mom and let me know if she's coming back. I'm going to find my Gameboy."_

 _Henry looked hesitant. "Maybe you shouldn't. She's already mad."_

 _"At me, not you. Just, like, whistle or something if you see her, okay?"_

 _Henry nodded reluctantly and turned to the door to the mayor's office. Regina was in a city council meeting. They weren't allowed to stay home by themselves for that long and their mom had fired yet another babysitter. It sucked being grounded at home, but it was even worse being grounded in Regina's office where there was absolutely nothing to do without her favorite electronics._

 _Mia started going through Regina's desk drawers, looking for the Gameboy her mom had taken away earlier. When she came up empty-handed, she moved over to the filing cabinet. It was locked, but Regina left her purse under her desk. Mia rummaged through the designer leather handbag until she found her mom's keys in a side pocket. There was only one key on the key ring that was small enough to be a possibility._

 _Mia inserted the key into the lock on the filing cabinet and turned it, grinning triumphantly when she heard it click open. She returned her mom's keys to exactly where she found them and then went back to the now-unlocked cabinet, feeling good about the chances she'd find her Gameboy hidden in the bottom._

 _As she searched the filing cabinet, her eyes automatically went to a file folder with her name on it. She wondered what was in it and reached for it almost on autopilot. Her birth certificate was the first thing in the folder. She picked it up and looked at it curiously. Huh…the space where their father's name should be was blank._

 _Regina never talked about their dad - even though Henry had asked about him at least a hundred times. Mia had never been interested in the man that clearly didn't want anything to do with them, but maybe she could give her brother the answer he needed. She turned back to the folder to see what else was in it…maybe there would be something on their dad in it._

 _The next thing in the folder was a…Certificate of Adoption. For just a moment, Mia didn't understand. She wasn't adopted. But the certificate had her name and her birthday. It had her mom's name and signature at the very bottom. She almost couldn't believe her eyes._

 _Mia just sat there on the floor of Regina's office, reeling with shock as she tried to process this. It was right there in front of her in black-and-white…she was adopted. Everything she thought she knew was a lie. Why hadn't her mom told her? Was it just her – or was it both of them? Was Henry even really her twin?_

 _Henry…she heard him whistling in the hallway. It sounded so far away, but she knew it wasn't. She heard her mom – no, not her mom…Regina? – ask Henry what he was doing in the hallway and where she was. It didn't seem important to put the file folder away before they saw her anymore. She couldn't un-see the Certificate of Adoption or pretend like she didn't know so she just sat there numbly, waiting for it._

 _"Mia! What are you doing?"_

 _"I'm adopted?" Mia struggled to form the words that were so strange to her._

 _"What?!" Henry shrieked._

Her mom hadn't been…well, her mom since that day – and not just biologically. Regina hadn't been herself. She was colder somehow. She'd always been strict, but she'd also been fiercely protective and loving. Now sometimes Mia thought Regina hated her.

Mia let out a long-suffering sigh as she turned onto Mifflin Street. There was an old, beat up yellow Volkswagen Bug parked in front of her house. She stopped walking and stared at it. Unease washed over her when she saw the Massachusetts license plate…their birth mother lived in Boston.

"Mia, your mom will be glad to see you."

Mia recognized the voice and turned to Sheriff Graham with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Regina called the freaking sheriff. She scoffed slightly. _Of course_ she had - or maybe he was already there. It didn't really matter. He was standing there on the front porch, looking her over carefully for any sign that she was hurt.

Mia wanted to turn and run, but she just kind of froze. And then it was too late…he had a hand on her shoulder and was guiding her toward the house. She shrugged his hand off, but reluctantly went in with Graham right behind her.

"Madam Mayor?" Graham called out quietly from just inside the doorway. _That_ was a little formal for the guy she'd seen sneaking out of Regina's bedroom earlier that week. Mia just shook her head and made a small disgusted sound. "Mia's home."

Mia heard the distinctive click of heels on the hardwood floor and then Regina was in front of her. "Mia! Are you okay? Where have you been?"

"Didn't you get my note? I left you a note," Mia said, already feeling defensive.

"Ah, yes…a note telling me you were going to a friend's house." Regina was calm, but Mia knew it was the calm before the storm. "You do not _tell_ me what you are doing."

Graham was still standing behind her and Mia could feel the startling intensity of another gaze on her. That was when she saw the blonde woman standing a few feet behind Regina. The woman was just standing there, watching intently as Regina lectured her. This wasn't awkward at all…

Mia met the blonde woman's gaze for a second and then quickly looked away. She could feel her cheeks flushing. She hated that Regina was scolding in front of other people…especially _these_ people – her adoptive mom's…boyfriend or whatever the hell he was and the woman that she knew somehow was her birth mother. It was embarrassing.

"You're ten. You do nothing without my permission," Regina continued, not seeming to care how uncomfortable Mia was.

"Nothing? Really? I need to ask you if I can go to the bathroom now?"

Regina's expression hardened. "This isn't going to the bathroom, and I think you know that. Unless you have my permission to do otherwise, you come straight home from school."

"Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars," Mia muttered under her breath, but Regina heard anyway and narrowed her eyes.

"Is that clear?" Regina said sharply.

"Crystal." Mia turned to leave.

"Not so fast, young lady." Regina stopped her. "Did you know what your brother was doing?"

Mia shifted uncomfortably…she _knew_ Regina would blame her. "No…"

"You _really_ expect me to believe that you had no idea that Henry ran away to Boston to find this woman?" Regina gestured toward the blonde woman, actually acknowledging her for the first time.

"I don't even know who she is," Mia said flatly.

The blonde woman looked uncomfortable. "I'm…I'm…"

"The woman who gave you up for adoption," Regina cut her off.

Her adoptive mom and her birth mother both seemed to be waiting for a reaction, but Mia wasn't going to give them one. She kept her face expressionless. "I'm really tired. Can you finish yelling at me tomorrow?"

"I'm sure you are," Regina said without a bit of sympathy. "It's way past your bedtime. All right, go to _your_ room, _not_ Henry's, and straight to bed. We'll discuss your insolence tomorrow."

Mia went to the stairs, forcing herself not to look back. Henry was waiting for her in her room. Well, _technically_ Regina had only said _she_ couldn't go to Henry's room, not the other way around. Mia dropped her backpack on the floor and flopped down next to her brother on her bed.

Henry turned to her. "Where were you?"

Mia stared. "Seriously? I'm not the one that went to Boston. You first."

 **Author's Note:** That wouldn't be the whole first chapter. It would just part of it. There would be some of Emma's point of view thrown in and a little more of the storyline from the pilot. I don't know if I like it or not. Please let me know if you like this idea or if it's just been done too many times. If you guys like it, I might turn it into a new story. Mia would still be Mia with the same personality, but there would be some differences because she wouldn't have grown up in the system.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Thank you SO much for reading and reviewing! This chapter has some fluff with Emma/Henry and then some major angst with Emma/Mia.

About my other story idea - I may write that one, but I also have one other idea that would involve Mia in slightly different circumstances. I'll probably write a sample of that at some point and see what you guys think and if you like one over the other. I'll continue this one no matter what. I have this one planned out for all of season three and might continue past that. If you guys have anything you want to see in this one, please let me know. Even though I have the storyline planned out, I'll incorporate your ideas if they make sense with the story!

 **Chapter 15**

Emma leaned against her car casually, waiting for Henry to emerge from Regina's house. After a long night with the kid that was barely speaking to her, she was ready to see the kid that didn't hate her. She gave him a hug, holding on a little longer than she normally would, and then offered him a takeaway cup from Granny's. "Cocoa?"

"Thanks!" Henry said as he hopped in the passenger seat, dropping his backpack on the floor in front of his feet.

"Did you eat?" Emma asked uncertainly.

Henry eyed the paper bag from Granny's, looking unimpressed. "Bagels again?"

"Nope. Donuts," Emma said smugly. "Because I know you, and I know you didn't love the Storybrooke bagels."

Henry selected a chocolate donut from the bag and took a big bite.

Emma smiled, but was a little surprised. "Regina didn't feed you?"

"No, she did. We had pancakes, but I'm still hungry," Henry said with a small shrug.

Emma chuckled softly…her son was _always_ hungry. "Did you have fun?"

Henry nodded. "It's weird…not remembering her or any the stuff that happened in all those pictures, but it was still cool. Did you figure out how to get my memories back?"

"Not yet." Emma glanced at him. "Not all of your memories were good, you know?"

"But they're my memories and they're real! I don't want fake memories of stuff that never happened."

"I get that." Emma hesitated. "We were really happy in New York though, kid. _You_ were happy…happier than I can ever remember you being here. Everything that happened over the last year _was_ real, and it was pretty good."

"I was happy. I was with you," Henry said matter-of-factly. "But we can be happy here, too."

Emma's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I thought you wanted to go back to New York?"

Henry shot her a look. "Only because I knew you were lying to me. You're not lying to me anymore…are you?"

"I only lied because I didn't know how to explain everything to you when you didn't believe in magic." Emma tried to defend herself. "I didn't think you'd believe me."

"Of course I believe you…you're my mom. You didn't answer my question though…are you lying to me about anything else? I want to know everything."

"There are some things that will make a lot more sense when you get your memories back, Henry. Can you just trust me on that for now? Please?" Emma pleaded.

Henry did not look happy with that answer. "So you still aren't telling me everything."

"I'm telling you everything I can right now. There is one more thing you need to know. It's…about your dad. He was here…in Storybrooke. You knew him actually. I know you don't remember, but you will."

Henry stared. "You mean he didn't leave us?"

"No, he didn't leave us. He didn't leave _you_ , Henry…he left _me_ to go to prison for his crime. Everything I told you about your dad is true, but there's a little more to it than that. He had reasons…magical reasons for leaving me the way he did. He was a good man, and he would have been a great father."

Henry's face fell. "Would have been?"

"He died a hero." Emma bit her bottom lip, trying to decide how much to tell him. "This case I've been working on? There are some bad people here that wanted to hurt your dad…and they did. They got away, but I'm going to find them."

Henry nodded sadly. "You said I knew him?"

"You kind of reconnected right before the curse hit," Emma explained. "He loved you, Henry. He would have done anything for you."

"Me and Mia," Henry said. "He's her dad, too, right?"

"Yeah…right." Emma studied him. "How are you doing with that…the whole twin sister thing?"

"I always wanted a brother or a sister," Henry said matter-of-factly. "Where is my sister?"

"She's at Granny's with David and Mary Margaret." And she had barely spoken to Emma over breakfast…

"You said she needed time."

"She does."

"I don't understand…why isn't she happy? I know there are some things I don't remember, but I think if I didn't have a family and I found you…I would be happy."

"You were, kid. But you were never alone. You always had Regina."

"Maybe my memories aren't real, but I know you, Mom. If you gave us up, I know you had a good reason."

"I was eighteen and in prison. That a good enough reason for you?" Emma said, knowing this was the kid that would understand…the kid that had forgiven her almost immediately when he found her. "I wanted you guys to have your best shot – and it wasn't with me."

"Did you find me or did I find you?" Henry just seemed curious…not hurt or angry.

"You found me…and it's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Henry gave her a small smile. "Mia might not be happy right now, but she will be."

"You're pretty sure about that. Did she, uh, talk to you about this stuff?" Emma asked tentatively.

"Maybe," Henry admitted. "But I'm not telling you what she said. She's my sister."

"She's lucky to have a brother like you. But while you're not telling people things, how about you don't say anything to her about magic…at least not yet?"

Henry's eyes widened. "You didn't tell her?"

"About magic and curses? No."

"Mom, you have to tell her."

Emma stared at him. "Henry, _you_ had a hard time believing at first. Mia doesn't have the same kind of faith in me that you have. She won't believe me."

"She has to believe you…you're her mom," Henry said simply.

Emma scoffed slightly. "Yeah, and I've only been her mom for, like, a day. I don't want to scare her off with magic. It's a hard thing for anyone to swallow."

"I can tell her. She'll believe me. I'm her twin," Henry said earnestly.

"No, Henry. I'm serious. She's not ready for it."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know, okay?" Emma realized how short that might have sounded and softened. "Look, I know how I was when I first found out about magic. It took me a little while to believe."

"Okay, I won't tell her," Henry agreed reluctantly.

Emma almost sighed in relief. "Thanks, kid."

* * *

Mia was sitting with her back against the wall in the booth at Granny's and her legs stretched out in front of her so that no one could sit next to her. Mary Margaret and David were across from her, talking to each other…mostly about the baby. They had tried talking to her but finally seemed to have gotten the hint that she wasn't interested.

Mia leaned her head back against the window and closed her eyes. She wasn't physically tired, but she was exhausted emotionally. In twenty-four hours, she had gone from not having parents to having two parents…a mom and a dad...a dad that was dying. And now she was already down to one parent…Emma – the parent that had given her away in the first place.

Neal's funeral was that afternoon. Mia had spent almost thirteen years wanting a dad and now…now she would never have one. She had missed her dad every day of her life and she'd only had him for one day before he was gone. He'd never really been there for her and now he never would be.

Her dad wasn't the dad she had concocted in her imagination. Okay, maybe she had imagined an irresponsible teenager, but she had never once pictured him as a seventeen year old jewelry thief that let her mom go to prison for his crime. He was a disappointment in a way, but he was still her dad - and he had wanted her…she could tell. The one person – the _only_ person – that had ever wanted her was dead. Because no matter how Emma was acting now, the woman hadn't wanted her when she was born and hadn't even told her that she was her daughter. Mia thought waiting until her stupid case was over was a terrible excuse for not telling her – if Emma was really even going to tell her then.

Mia heard the bell ring announcing a new arrival to the diner and then she felt someone staring at her. She reluctantly opened her eyes, expecting to see Emma. The woman was there, but Henry was the one staring at her expectantly.

"You're my sister."

"Kind of," Mia said a little awkwardly.

"You are," Henry insisted. He nudged her and she drew her knees to her chest so he could sit next to her in the booth. He slid in with an easy grin. "I always wanted a brother or sister."

"I've had a lot of foster brothers and sisters," Mia said quietly, lowering her gaze. "You weren't missing anything."

"But you're my _real_ sister…my _twin_ sister."

"If by real, you mean we share DNA then yeah, I guess..."

Henry looked disappointed, but seemed to give up on trying to get whatever reaction he wanted out of her.

Emma must have noticed his disappointment because the woman gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and then eyed Mia almost hesitantly. "You need a dress for this afternoon."

"I don't do dresses."

"Really? It's your dad's funeral. You can't show up in jeans and a t-shirt." Emma sounded a little frustrated.

"Okay, but just shopping." Not talking went unsaid. "And just one dress."

Emma nodded and then turned her attention back to Henry. "You have a suit at Regina's house. She'll bring it over…before."

* * *

Emma glanced at Mia and sighed, stopping just outside of Granny's. "Listen, it's one thing for you to punish me," she started carefully.

Mia startled a little, shaking her head slightly. "That's…not what I'm doing."

"Yes, it is," Emma said with a knowing expression. "All you've been doing since you found out that you're my daughter is trying to push me away and trying to hurt me. And that's okay…I can take it…I deserve it. But Henry doesn't. You're pushing him away because of a decision _I_ made. That's not fair."

"You know what's not fair? He had two moms and I had no one," Mia burst out.

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "He didn't have me…"

"He _did_. Maybe he didn't have you until he was ten, but he's had you since then. You've been there for him for the last couple years, but you weren't there for me."

Emma steeled herself for another round with her daughter. "And I owned that. You can keep punishing me for it if it makes you feel better. Just…don't punish Henry for _my_ decision."

"Everything I said back there was true. I've had a lot of foster brothers and sisters…and some of them really sucked. They stole my stuff, blamed me for things _they_ did, laughed when I got in trouble for it." Mia shook her head angrily. "But you know what? As much as I hated some of them, we were the same…them and me. We were in the same system…in the same shitty foster homes. We grew up the same way. The only way Henry and I are the same is DNA."

"Whatever your foster brothers and sisters did? That wasn't Henry…he wouldn't do that. He's still the same kid you were playing video games with last week. And you're more like him than you realize. You have the same taste in food, books and movies."

"You don't know me," Mia said stonily.

Emma stopped herself from saying that she did actually. "I know I'm still getting to know you, but-"

Mia scoffed. " _Still_? It's been a day."

"It's been a week actually. You were with me and Henry this whole last week. You just…didn't know we were your family then."

"You're right," Mia said quietly after a moment. "You…Henry…me - last week we were playing video games and watching Harry Potter marathons. I told you things that I _never_ would have told you if I knew who you were. And now…I don't even want to talk to you. Every time you try to talk to me, I just…I get so mad."

"I know…I get it," Emma said dully. She hated that her daughter was so angry with her, but she knew Mia had almost thirteen years of anger built up. That wasn't just going to go away in a day.

"No, you don't!" Mia almost yelled. "You don't get it. If you did, you would never have given me up. You would have known that no matter how bad a mom you thought you'd be when you were eighteen, foster care was worse. So stop saying you get it because you don't."

Emma just nodded sadly, knowing this wasn't the time to empathize. She had stopped being a stranger that was in the same situation as Mia for sixteen years and could relate to everything she'd been through. Now she wasn't a stranger…she was the girl's mom – and a decision she made thirteen years ago was the reason Mia was ever even in that situation to begin with.

Mia took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm down. "I'm not like Henry, okay? I've had a lot of foster parents, but I've never had an actual parent. And I don't…I don't know how to be a daughter…I'm not good at it. Maybe that's why every foster family I had sent me back." Despite the girl's efforts to calm down, her voice was still shaky.

Emma reached out for her, but Mia pulled away from her touch. She withdrew her hand, pushing her hurt aside. "Hey, it's okay…a couple years ago I didn't know how to be a mother."

"Maybe not then, but now…now you and Henry…you're already a family - without me. I always wanted a family, but…I just…I don't know how to be one with you and Henry. Maybe this just…wasn't meant to be."

Emma tried to give Mia an encouraging smile, but it felt as forced as it must have looked. "It is…it'll just take time."

"You said it yourself, Emma - all I'm doing is pushing you away and trying to hurt you. You don't have to keep doing this…trying to be my mom. We can go back to how things were last week before all of this family drama screwed everything up."

Emma felt like she'd just been punched in the face. She jolted back a little. "I'm not…trying to be your mom. I am your mom. There's not an off switch for that. Let's just…let's go get the dress for now, okay?"

* * *

Emma thought Mia was punishing her, but she wasn't…at least she didn't think she was. Okay, maybe she was pushing her away, but that wasn't to punish her…it was to protect herself from getting hurt – or hurt any more than she already was in this case. She didn't really want to push Emma away…she just wanted to keep her at a distance - a safe distance. But Emma made it sound worse than it was…like she was pushing Emma and Henry away just to hurt them.

Emma clearly both liked and loved Henry more. Mia couldn't really blame her. Henry seemed strangely okay with the fact that Emma had given them up. Despite what Emma said, Mia knew that she and Henry were polar opposites. It was weird for her to think of him as her brother – her _twin_ brother. She wondered if she would have been more like her twin if things had played out differently. Jealousy aside…Mia liked Henry - and she didn't like people easily. She even wished she were more like him. It was so easy for him to let people in. Well, of course it was…he'd probably never had to worry about being rejected.

Emma and Henry were a family already…without her. Mia had spent a week watching them interact as mother and son. They were a happy family…minus the missing in action father. The only time they had ever argued it was about Emma's boyfriend – ex-boyfriend now – and it was only because Henry wanted her to be happy and he thought Walsh made her happy. Henry was like the perfect kid. And Mia…wasn't.

Mia knew she wasn't reacting to any of this - Emma being her mom or Henry being her brother - the way Emma wanted her to…the way Henry had…the way a daughter should.

"I'm not like Henry, okay? I've had a lot of foster parents, but I've never had an actual parent. And I don't…I don't know how to be a daughter…I'm not good at it. Maybe that's why every foster family I had sent me back." Mia tried to keep her voice steady, but it shook noticeably. She must have sounded like she was going to cry because Emma reached out for her, but she pulled away.

Emma looked shocked. "Hey, it's okay…a couple years ago I didn't know how to be a mother," she said after a moment.

"Maybe not then, but now…now you and Henry…you're already a family - without me. I always wanted a family, but…I just…I don't know how to be one with you and Henry. Maybe this just…wasn't meant to be." Mia's eyes widened in fear when she realized what she had just said. It was what she was thinking, but she didn't mean to say it. She held her breath as she waited nervously for Emma to say something.

"It is…it'll just take time." But Emma didn't look like she really believed that. Mia's heart sank.

Mia knew she didn't want to lose Emma, even if they couldn't figure out how to be mother and daughter the way Emma and Henry were mother and son. Maybe they could just go back to how they were before… "You said it yourself, Emma - all I'm doing is pushing you away and trying to hurt you. You don't have to keep doing this…trying to be my mom. We can go back to how things were last week before all of this family drama screwed everything up."

Emma's expression was pained. "I'm not…trying to be your mom. I am your mom. There's not an off switch for that. Let's just…let's go get the dress for now, okay?"

 **Author's Note:** Thanks again for reading!

In answer to a question, Gold had his own agenda where Mia was concerned and you'll find out what it is eventually, but the 'real world' reason Mia and Henry were separated is that Mia was sick as a baby and needed to stay in the hospital for months. The adoption agency decided to split them up so that Henry would still be adopted.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"I'm not…trying to be your mom. I am your mom. There's not an off switch for that. Let's just…let's go get the dress for now, okay?" Emma didn't look angry…just hurt, but it was clear the woman did _not_ want to talk to her anymore. That was a first…it was always the other way around.

It felt like a rejection, however small, to Mia and she worried she had crossed a line and pushed Emma too far. Her eyes stung with tears. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that," she cried.

"I know," Emma said stiffly.

"I know you think I'm trying to hurt you, but I'm not…I promise I'm not," Mia said a little desperately. "I don't know how to deal with all this."

"I know it's a lot for you to deal with," Emma said after a moment.

Mia lowered her gaze. "I know I'm not dealing with all of it the way you want me to. I don't want to be mad at you, but I just…I can't help the way I feel."

"Right now the only thing I want you to do is get a dress to wear to your dad's funeral. Let's just take it one step at a time, okay?"

"Okay," Mia said weakly.

They walked the rest of the way to Modern Fashions in uncomfortable silence. In fact, Emma didn't say anything else to her until they were in the juniors section of the clothing shop, and that was only to ask her opinion on a black dress.

"How about this?"

Mia looked at the dress on the hanger Emma was holding up out in front of her. It was just a plain black dress, no lace or bows or anything too…frilly. "Yeah, it's…fine."

Emma eyed Mia's feet. "You need shoes, too," she said carefully.

Mia studied her tattered sneakers for a second. "Just…not heels. They hurt my feet."

Emma held the hanger out in front of her, looking at the dress. "You can wear boots with this."

Mia wandered over to the small shoe section and picked up a black suede ankle boot that was on display. She looked back over her shoulder at Emma uncertainly. "Are these okay? I've never…been to a funeral before."

"They're fine," Emma said with a forced smile. "Try them on and make sure they're comfortable. We'll be standing for awhile."

The salesperson rang up the dress and shoes. Mia watched from just behind Emma as the total appeared on the credit card reader. Damn, Mia hadn't realized how much it would be. Emma had just spent almost $150 on her - and that was only for one outfit. Mia wondered how much Emma had spent on all the other new clothes she bought her. She felt guilty that her birth mother was spending this much money on her, even after she told her she didn't have to keep trying to be her mom.

"Thank you," Mia whispered.

* * *

It turned out three people sharing one bathroom in a room at the bed and breakfast when they all had to leave at the same time did not work. Mia was taking forever in the bathroom, and Henry still needed to take a shower. If they stayed in Storybrooke, Emma would need to find someplace with at least two bathrooms.

"What is she doing in there?" Henry asked with frustration in his voice.

Emma stared at the closed bathroom door. "I don't know, kid."

"We're going to be late," Henry said.

"I know. Just…give me a minute." Emma knocked tentatively on the bathroom door. "Mia? You almost done?"

Mia opened the door. The girl was already dressed and was straightening her hair with a brush and the blow dryer instead of an actual flat iron - a slow process with as much hair as she had.

"Henry needs to take a shower. Maybe you can do that out here? I can help you."

Mia gave her a strange look. "I don't need help. I'm almost thirteen, not three." But she unplugged the blow dryer and gathered it and her brush and then followed Emma out.

"All yours," Emma called to Henry. He hurried into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. She heard the water turn on in the shower.

Mia was banging around the room, trying to find an outlet by the mirror over the chest of drawers. There wasn't one. The only outlets were by the desk and the beds.

"I know three of us and one bathroom is cramped," Emma started carefully. "And I know you don't need help. But it'll be a lot easier logistically if I help."

"Okay, fine." Mia looked at her uncertainly, seemingly unsure what Emma wanted her to do.

Emma plugged her own flat iron in and switched it on. She sat down on Mia's bed and patted the bedspread in front of her in silent invitation. Mia sat stiffly where she had indicated with her back facing Emma, staying almost unnaturally still.

Emma gently brushed the girl's hair out. It was the same exact color as Henry's hair, but she had a lot more of it and it fell in soft waves like Emma's blonde hair. Her daughter seemed to relax a little as Emma ran the brush through her hair, leaning her head back and sighing softly.

"You want it straight, right?" Emma checked as she picked up the flat iron, waiting for Mia to nod before starting with one of the strands of hair that framed the girl's face.

It was a little awkward for Emma to straighten someone else's hair…she was used to straightening her own hair, and she had to come at straightening Mia's hair from a different angle with the flat iron. However awkward it was at first, it was something Emma had missed out on doing when Mia was a little girl, and it hit her that this was the first time Mia had allowed her to do anything like this - anything mothers generally did.

Emma set the flat iron down on the nightstand when she was finished and gently smoothed the last strand of hair back. "There. You're all set."

"Thanks." Mia turned to give her a small smile.

Emma returned the smile.

"Mom?"

Emma looked over to see Henry standing at the foot of the bed, wearing the suit Regina brought over for him and holding his tie awkwardly in front of him. Oh, hair she could do, but ties…well, Neal never wore a tie when they were together, Henry didn't have one single tie in his closet back in New York, and Walsh didn't exactly need help with his. Regina would be so much better at this, but Emma would try.

Mia disappeared into the bathroom again. Emma wondered what she could possibly be doing in there now. She shook her head slightly and went over to stand in front of her son, taking the tie from him. She draped it over his shoulders like a scarf and then fumbled around until she had a loose knot right under his neck. She tightened the knot and straightened the tie.

"You look good, kid," Emma said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Do I look like him…my dad?" Henry asked.

"You do. You look a little like both of us. He had brown hair. It was a bit darker than yours, but not much. Besides, I think yours is getting darker as you get older. And you also have his nose."

Henry turned to study his reflection in the mirror over the chest of drawers, adjusting the tie a little. "Does Mia look like him, too, then?"

"The hair…yes," Emma said. "She looks more like you than anyone else to me though."

"She looks like me? So I'm the oldest?"

"By, like, ten minutes." Emma thought about it for a second. "Actually, it was twelve."

"Cool. That means she has to listen to me," Henry said smugly.

Emma let out a short laugh. "Good luck with that, kid. She doesn't even listen to me right now."

"Yes, she does. She's wearing a dress, isn't she?"

Emma blinked…he was right – Mia was wearing a dress despite flat-out refusing to do so at first.

* * *

Mia didn't know how long Neal's funeral lasted, but it felt like it was never going to end.

It was cold and windy. The bitter cold air cut right through her. Mia was glad she had agreed to wear the black leather jacket Emma suggested she wear as they left the room at Granny's. It was Emma's jacket and it was big on her. It went down all the way to mid-thigh and made her feel even shorter than she was – and she knew she wasn't tall. But it was warmer than her thin bomber jacket would have been, and even with that she was still shivering. She wondered why _she_ had to wear a dress when _Emma_ wasn't even wearing a dress. Pants would have been warmer. She shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms in front of her stomach and trying to keep warm. The boots had been comfortable enough for the two minutes she had them on in the store, but now they were hurting her feet. She could feel blisters forming on her heels.

Everyone was staring at her. Well, not just at her…at her, Henry and Emma. They all seemed to know she was Neal's daughter somehow. She hadn't told anyone about her newfound parents and wondered if Emma had told everyone or if they were just assuming the way Zelena had assumed she was Emma's daughter. It was weird for her to have everyone treat her like she was the grieving daughter when she still didn't feel like anyone's daughter.

Mia didn't cry, and she was a little worried that she wasn't reacting the right way and everyone would think she was awful…that _Emma_ would think she was awful – or more awful than she already thought she was after what she had said to her earlier. She glanced over at Henry and was relieved to see that he wasn't crying either. Other people were crying though, and it made Mia a little uncomfortable. She didn't know what she was supposed to be doing. She just stood there, feeling awkward.

They finally lowered the coffin into the grave and people started filing up one at a time to shovel fresh soil onto the coffin. Mia was a little surprised when she felt Emma's hand on her shoulder, giving her a soft push toward the grave. She approached it tentatively and stared at the smooth wood of the casket. It was so strange to know her dad was in there…it was strange to even think of herself as having a dad. The man she met yesterday didn't even look that sick, and now he was dead.

"You said family is forever, but you were only my dad for a day. It sucks that I just found you and I already lost you. I wish I had more time with you…Dad," Mia whispered.

Mia knew she wouldn't have called Neal that to his face, not this soon…maybe not ever. He sure hadn't earned the title, but somehow it felt right at that moment.

Mia copied what she'd seen all of the other people do before her with the shovel and the soil. Henry took the shovel from her when she was done and she stepped back into her previous spot next to Emma. She felt the woman's hand on her shoulder again for a moment before Emma stepped forward to take her turn up at the grave.

Everyone went back to Granny's after the funeral. Mia wanted to be alone, away from all of the people she didn't know and that didn't know her. She wanted to slip away, but Emma guided her and Henry into a booth before being pulled away herself.

"He's our dad, and he's dead. We should feel something…shouldn't we?"

Mia was startled when her twin said what she'd been thinking. It made her remember that her brother had two moms, but he never had Neal… She shrugged. "Sometimes it's easier not to feel anything."

Henry studied her for a moment. "You don't have to be scared to feel something for me and our mom, you know?"

"I'm not…scared," Mia said indignantly.

"It's okay to be happy," Henry continued like he hadn't even heard her. "I already know you like us, and we like you."

Mia shifted her gaze to Emma uncertainly. The woman was throwing darts at a dartboard with a deep scowl on her face. "Yeah? I don't know how much Emma likes me right now."

"Of course she does. She's your mom," Henry said simply.

"I told her she didn't have to keep trying to be my mom…that we could go back to how things were last week." Mia watched Henry carefully to gauge his reaction.

Henry looked horrified. Damn it, she had really screwed up this time, hadn't she?

"It was stupid, and I didn't mean it," Mia added hastily. "You should have seen the look on her face…" Her voice trailed off. "How did you forgive her? You know, for giving us away?"

"She did it to give us our best chance," Henry said earnestly.

Mia scoffed. "Maybe you had your best chance, but foster care wasn't mine."

"Your foster parents…they weren't good, were they?" Henry asked hesitantly.

"My last foster father was one of Emma's cases," Mia reminded him, hoping that would be enough to answer his question.

"He skipped bail? What was he arrested for?"

"Beating the crap out of his wife," Mia said flatly.

Henry looked scandalized…Mia wondered if he was really that naïve. "Did he…did he hit you?"

"No, he didn't hit me," Mia said after a moment. She had no intention of telling Henry what Trey actually did. She got up from the booth, sending a clear signal that the conversation was over and this particular topic was off limits.

Henry turned to her. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom," Mia lied.

Mia headed to the back hallway, but walked right past the bathroom and out the back. She bumped into someone in the alleyway. She looked up, hoping it wasn't one of Emma's friends…it was Zelena.

Zelena looked a little surprised to her. "No babysitter today?"

"Nope."

"Emma has no idea you left," Zelena said with a small, amused smile.

"No," Mia said with a sigh, fully expecting the woman to take her back.

"Don't worry, it will be our little secret," Zelena said, winking at her.

Mia eyed her warily. "I thought you were Mary Margaret's friend. You're not going to tell her?"

"I'm not her friend. I was her midwife, but I'm not anymore."

"Oh." Mia didn't know what else to say to that.

"My condolences. It is your father's wake you're leaving?"

Mia shifted uncomfortably. "It's fine. I…didn't really know him."

"I never knew my father either," Zelena offered quietly after a moment. "Or my mother for that matter."

"Yeah, well, I've only known my mom for, like, a week. And I've only known she's my mom since yesterday. She wasn't even going to tell me until after she finishes whatever case she's working on."

"I think you'll find there are a great many things your new mother isn't telling you," Zelena said carefully.

Mia stiffened. "Like what?"

Before Zelena could respond, the back door to Granny's burst open. It startled Mia when the door slammed into the wall with a loud bang. She almost jumped.

"Mia." Mia recognized the voice as Emma's and thought she heard relief in her voice. She rolled her eyes...she had barely left Granny's and she was only gone for maybe five minutes.

Mia reluctantly turned to the woman. But Emma didn't _look_ relieved…she looked almost…afraid. "What?"

"Go back inside." Mia didn't like Emma's commanding tone. She was used to the woman telling her what to do at this point, but she had been making suggestions and at least pretending to give her options up until now. This was clearly _not_ a suggestion.

Mia didn't move, wanting to hear what else Emma wasn't telling her - and wanting to hear it from Zelena since Zelena hadn't lied to her yet, at least not that she knew of. "I will in a couple minutes. I just need some air."

Emma stepped in front on her. "Mia! Go back inside! Now!" The woman yelled over her shoulder.

Mia stood her ground. "I _said_ I would in a couple minutes."

* * *

"Perhaps I should paint a bulls eye on the wicked witch's back," Hook mused after Emma's dart hit dead center on the target.

"She'll get more than a dart when I find her," Emma told him.

"I know you're hurting, Swan, but there are better ways to grieve Baelfire's death than letting anger overcome you."

Emma glanced at him. "Let me guess – rum?"

Hook held his flask up, offering her a drink.

Emma turned back to the dartboard. "I'll stick with anger…at least until I've dealt with Zelena."

"Take it from me – vengeance isn't the thing that's going to make you feel better."

"It'll make this town safer." Emma looked over at the booth she left Henry and Mia in. Wait, where the hell was Mia? Without looking back at Hook, she went over to the booth. "Henry, where's Mia?"

Henry hesitated. "She went to the bathroom."

Emma studied him, unsure if he was telling the truth…he'd hesitated a second too long. "Really?"

"She said she was going to the bathroom, but…I think she just didn't want to talk to me anymore."

"I'm sure that's not true, kid." Emma nudged him. "You're probably her favorite person in this town right now. Stay here with Killian, okay? I'm gonna go see if your sister's in the bathroom."

Emma wasn't surprised to find the bathroom empty. She saw a small movement outside through the little window in door leading to the alleyway at the end of the hallway and moved that direction. She burst out the door, hoping Mia would be there…she was. "Mia."

At first all Emma saw was her daughter. She felt a wave of relief that the girl wasn't running away – or if she was, at least she hadn't gotten very far. She saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye and noticed Zelena standing less than a foot away from her daughter with a predatory smile that she really wanted to wipe off the redhead's face. Her relief died down and pure unadulterated fear washed over her. She hadn't been this afraid since the moment she found Henry in Neverland when he was about to give Peter Pan his heart. Now another one of her kids was within arm's reach of an evil villain. This kind of thing didn't happen in New York.

"What?" Mia almost sounded annoyed. Well, that was okay…Emma was a little annoyed with her, too.

"Go back inside."

Mia didn't make a move toward her. "I will in a couple minutes. I just need some air."

Did Mia think she was asking? She wasn't. Emma shook her head in disbelief and moved to stand in front of her daughter, physically putting herself in between the little girl and the wicked witch. Once Mia was safely behind her, she glanced over her shoulder at her. "Mia! Go back inside! Now!"

Mia _still_ didn't move. "I _said_ I would in a couple minutes."

Emma let out a frustrated sigh. She turned so that her back was not quite to Zelena, but she was angled slightly toward Mia and pushed her toward the doorway. "I wasn't asking. Go inside right now."

Emma hadn't pushed her hard, but it had been just enough force to propel the girl toward the door. Mia turned right back around in the doorway though. "What's the matter with you? I wasn't doing anything! We were just talking!"

Hook appeared in the doorway behind Mia, looking for her probably. "Swan. Good you found her…them."

Emma almost sighed in relief. "Killian, take Mia inside."

"Lass." Hook put a hand on Mia's shoulder, but she shrugged it off and stalked past him. Oh, well…at least she was back in the diner and away from Zelena.

Emma whipped around so she was fully facing Zelena. "Stay away from my daughter."

Zelena smiled, looking very much like the cat that ate the canary. "Oh, I'll stay away from her, but she might not stay away from me."

"She will."

"Yes, she seems very…obedient," Zelena said mockingly. "Don't worry, I don't want to kill your daughter. In fact, I'm not going to kill anyone. Not right now, anyway. I'm just paying a friendly visit to my little sister."

What the hell? "Mia's not your sister. I think I would know."

Zelena laughed. "No, not Mia. Regina."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Emma was torn between wanting to hug her daughter and wanting to shake her. If the glare Mia was leveling at her from across Granny's was any indication, the girl wouldn't let her give her a hug. And she wasn't actually going to shake her.

Emma took a deep breath and approached the booth her daughter was sitting in. The girl had walked right past the booth Henry and now Killian were sitting in and was sitting by herself – or at least she was until Emma sat down across from her.

"What just happened - that can't happen again. Mia, I'm your mother, and it's my job to protect you. And in order to do that, I need you to listen to me, okay?"

Mia stared almost incredulously. "You don't need to protect me from the midwife. I think I can handle her," she said, smirking slightly.

"Well, you can't. You know how I told you people have been disappearing? We think Zelena may have been involved. She could be dangerous." Zelena _was_ dangerous. The witch could have turned her daughter into a flying monkey…or killed her.

"I was just alone with her…in an alleyway. If she's really a kidnapper, then why didn't she…I don't know - kidnap me?" Mia said skeptically.

"She could have. Do you understand that?" Emma could tell Mia didn't understand. She wondered what she could say to make her understand.

"She _didn't_." Mia was looking at her like she was crazy.

Emma sighed, not knowing what to say to get through to her. "Not this time. Stay away from her. I mean it, Mia."

"Whatever you say," Mia muttered with a little bit of attitude…enough for Emma to question whether she had any intention of doing what she said.

Emma thought Mia's defiance had to be about more than the girl's strange desire to talk to Zelena again - and she thought she knew what it was about. "You think you don't have to listen to me because I've only been your mom for a day, right? I know you're not used to having a parent, and it'll take time for you to see me as, well…your mom. But this is really not the time for you to rebel against me. Maybe you can do that later…by…I don't know - staying up past your bedtime or going out with a boy I don't like. This time you _do_ have to listen to me, okay? I want your word that you'll stay away from Zelena."

"Okay, fine." It wasn't the promise Emma wanted. It was a reluctant agreement, but it was all she was going to get from Mia – and she knew she was lucky to get that.

Emma decided to move on. "What were you even doing out there?"

"I just went out to get some air. I was only out there for, like, five minutes. I didn't think you'd even notice I was gone."

Emma frowned. The girl couldn't fathom anyone caring where she was after years of foster parents that didn't care where she was as long as they got their government check. _She_ cared…couldn't Mia see that?

"You thought wrong."

Mia fiddled with the zipper on her leather jacket – or more accurately Emma's leather jacket. "I wasn't running."

Emma gave her a thin smile. "I know…you didn't take your backpack."

Mia eyed her warily. "Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not happy you left Granny's, but I'm not mad. I was more worried than anything." Emma studied her daughter for a moment, eventually deciding to show a little bit more of her own feelings than she normally would. "Actually, I was terrified. When I saw you with Zelena, it really scared me."

"We were just talking," Mia said defensively. Emma could tell the girl was starting to feel at least a little bit guilty.

"About what?"

Mia shrugged. "I don't know. Nothing much."

Emma didn't buy that. "You're lying. Whatever she said, she got in your head."

"She said she was sorry…about Neal. I told her I didn't really know him. She didn't know her parents either."

How dare Zelena say anything to Mia about Neal? Emma swallowed her fury…she was angry with Zelena, not Mia. It made sense that the girl would connect with the redheaded woman over not knowing her parents, at least not until now. At one point Mia had connected with _her_ over that. Now…well, now her kid didn't want to talk to her, but felt like she could talk to the wicked witch. That was hard for Emma to swallow.

"I know you said you don't want to talk to me," Emma said carefully. "But you talked to me back in New York, and I'm still that same person. Zelena's not the only one that understands how you feel, you know? I know what it's like to be alone. You're not alone anymore. If you're looking for someone to talk to, you can always talk to me."

"No, I can't. And if you really understood, you would know that." Mia stood up.

"Hey." Emma grabbed the girl's arm before she could walk away. "Where are you going?"

Mia let out a short breath, making a harsh sound and pulled her arm out of Emma's grasp. "Back to the room. You want me to trust you, Emma? Maybe you should try trusting me."

Emma watched as the girl disappeared down the hallway, wondering if she was making a mistake letting her go.

"It looks like that went well," David said wryly. He gave her a sympathetic smile as he took Mia's spot in the booth. Mary Margaret slid in next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"She won't talk to me, but she'll talk to Zelena," Emma muttered.

"You're her mother," David pointed out gently, sounding just a little bit amused.

Emma stared at him incredulously. "Zelena's the wicked witch. And she doesn't see me that way. You know what she said to me today? She said we could go back to how things were when she didn't know she was my daughter…she said I didn't have to keep trying to be her mom."

David and Mary Margaret exchanged a look.

"What?" Emma asked with a little bit of annoyance.

"Sounds familiar," David told her.

"It was different with us," Emma protested.

"No, it wasn't," Mary Margaret said firmly. "You're _our_ daughter, Emma. And when you broke Regina's curse and we were finally all together, you didn't want to talk to us."

"But _someone_ wouldn't take no for an answer," David said with a pointed look at Mary Margaret.

"I wouldn't take no for an answer," Mary Margaret acknowledged. "And neither should you. I don't care what she does or says. Mia is your daughter."

"And from what you've told us, I think she has enough of her mother in her that there is no one who knows what she needs better than you," David added with confidence.

"I…needed time. I know I need to give her time-"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "No. You _wanted_ time," she corrected. "There's a difference. You went through that portal…"

"And you came through after me."

Mary Margaret nodded. "That's right. To be with you, even if you _wanted_ space."

"Yeah, well, somehow I don't think going through a portal to fairy tale land with Mia would fix things with us."

"I don't think that's what Mary Margaret's saying," David said carefully.

"It's not. When we were in our land, I told you not to talk to Cora," Mary Margaret reminded her. "And what did you do?"

"Let me guess…she didn't listen?" David said with a knowing expression.

Mary Margaret laughed. "Of course not." She turned to Emma. "Remember the ogre?"

"What ogre?" David asked, looking a little concerned.

"Oh, the ogre that almost killed Emma," Mary Margaret answered nonchalantly.

Emma stifled a groan. "It didn't almost kill me."

Mary Margaret gave her a look of complete disbelief. "It would have if I hadn't shot it in the eye."

"Great, so I didn't listen to you back then, and now Mia won't listen to me." Emma shot Mary Margaret an annoyed look when the other woman smiled like she thought it was funny to watch her try to parent a kid that acted just like she had. "I'm glad you're enjoying this."

David gave her an apologetic smile. "We're not…enjoying this. It's just…well, she's acting a lot like you did back then."

"So what do I do?" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret smiled. "You do exactly what we did. You don't have to take no for an answer. You said she's afraid to let you in because she thinks you'll let her down again. Well, you were afraid to let us in, too, but we didn't let that stop us."

"Just stay strong," David told her. "She'll figure out that you're not going to give up."

"I'm not going to give up. I know she thinks if she pushes hard enough, I will, but I won't. She has me now, and I'm not going anywhere. It's just…with everything with Zelena, I don't know how much time she has to realize that. If she doesn't listen to me when it comes to this…" Emma's voice broke off as she imagined what the woman responsible for Neal's death could do to her daughter.

"We won't let that happen," David assured her, knowing she was thinking of the worst possible scenario.

"She said if I want her to trust me, I have to trust her. But how can I when I know what I would do if I were her?" Emma asked.

"You could start by telling her the truth about Storybrooke and who we really are," Mary Margaret suggested.

"She doesn't believe in me. She's not going to believe in magic or fairy tales."

"I don't know. Her brother is the truest believer, and her mother is the savior. She might surprise you," Mary Margaret said with characteristic optimism.

"Or she might think I've lost my mind." Emma thought that scenario was more realistic. "It took Henry almost dying for me to believe. Before that, I thought the curse was crazy. Mia not really accepting me as her mother is already hard enough, but it will be even harder if she thinks I'm a crazy person."

"You have magic," David started tentatively. "If she sees it with her own eyes…"

"Yeah, _if_ she sticks around long enough for me to put on a magic show."

Mary Margaret blinked in surprise. "You still think she would run away?"

"I spent a lot of time running before Henry brought me to Storybrooke. For someone who grew up the way Mia did…the way I did, it's like a survival instinct. It's just what we've always done when things get tough." Emma tried to explain.

"That have anything to do with why you're thinking of going back to New York after we break the curse?" David inquired.

Mary Margaret stared hard. "You're thinking of going back to New York?"

Emma shrugged, not wanting to get into that. "I don't know. But to answer your original question, I don't just think Mia will run if this all becomes more than she can handle. I _know_ she will."

Mary Margaret frowned. "But her family is here. _Our_ family is here. We can finally all be together."

Emma glanced at Mary Margaret's stomach, knowing her mother would have the baby she really wanted soon enough…knowing what they had wasn't what her mother wanted. "Henry was really happy in New York. And I don't know if moving Mia on top of all the other changes in her life right now is what's best for her. I have to do what's best for them, and I'm going to."

"Mom!" Emma heard Henry's voice and looked over, grateful for the excuse to end a conversation she did not want to have with Mary Margaret in the first place. Her son had swiveled around in the booth behind them and was looking at her expectantly. "Killian said he knew my dad. He said they were friends?" Emma heard the question in her son's tone and glanced at Hook uncertainly.

"I- yes," Emma answered. "They were…friends."

"Can I go out on his boat with him? He said he'd tell me about my dad."

Emma gave Hook a questioning look. He inclined his head slightly. "Does that invitation extend to Mia? I, uh, may have to help Regina with the case."

"Aye, of course."

* * *

Mia looked up when the door opened and rolled her eyes when she saw Emma. "Wow, a whole ten minutes before you checked up on me. I can really feel the trust."

"Actually, I'm not checking up on you. Killian is going to take Henry out on his boat. Do you, uh, want to go?"

Mia did not want to spend time with Emma's boyfriend…or whatever the hell Killian was. "Pass."

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I have to work on the case and you can't stay here alone…"

"Trey and Dawn left me home alone all the time."

Emma stared. "You mean the foster father that tried to rape you and the foster mother that left you alone in that house for a week? Because they're examples of what _not_ to do…"

Mia stared right back with a clenched jaw. " _You_ left me alone in your apartment when we were in New York."

"Well, we're not in New York."

Mia shook her head in disbelief. "So you're pawning me off on your boyfriend?"

"He's…not my boyfriend. And I'm not pawning you off on anyone. Killian knew Neal, and he offered to tell you guys about him. I thought you'd want to go. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, as much fun as math homework or going to the dentist," Mia muttered under her breath. "Can't Mary Margaret babysit me instead?"

Emma gave her an apologetic smile. "Not today."

* * *

Killian was harder to get away from than Mia thought he would be. She had a lot of practice faking sick to get out of gym class when she had bruises that she couldn't hide in the locker room…bruises that would raise uncomfortable questions. She thought faking seasick would be a no-brainer on a ship. She moaned and clutched her stomach. She tried to look pathetic. To her annoyance, Killian just said her father was queasy his first time on the ship, too, and that it would pass.

It wasn't until she told him she was going to throw up on the ship that Killian had some random guy named after a character in Peter Pan walk her back to Granny's. Mr. Smee – if that was even his real name and not some strange nickname - made sure Granny knew she was there. The diner was busy, and the older woman didn't question her when she said she was going to lie down in the room. She didn't go back to the room though. Instead, she slipped out the back, hoping to find Zelena.

It was weird to go from foster care where none of her foster parents gave a damn where she was or what she was doing to…well, her current situation…whatever it was. Mia hadn't had a babysitter the entire time she lived with Trey and Dawn. Trey treated her like an adult, not a kid. She didn't appreciate being treated like some little kid that couldn't take care of herself. And she really didn't appreciate being pawned off on Killian.

Mia wandered through the small town, carefully avoiding the main street so none of Emma's friends would see her. She didn't know how long she'd been walking before the redheaded woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but it didn't feel like it had been that long.

"Zelena! Hi."

"Hello, dear."

"I was looking for you," Mia started awkwardly. "You, um, said there's a lot Emma's not telling me."

"There is. Did you ask your mother about it?"

"I'm asking you."

"You don't trust her." Zelena seemed almost…amused.

"She wasn't even going to tell me I was her daughter until after her stupid case – _if_ she was even really going to tell me then. No, I don't trust her." And Emma had made it crystal clear that she didn't trust her either.

Zelena arched her eyebrows. "And yet you trust me. I'm flattered."

"I don't trust anyone. But Emma telling me to stay away from you? That only made me want to hear you out more."

* * *

Zelena handed the savior's daughter a cup of tea. The girl was either very foolish or very brave. She wasn't sure which yet, but Mia had no qualms about going back to her house – or more accurately the farmhouse that was her temporary home…just until she could cast her spell. Luckily for the savior, Zelena thought the little girl would be more useful in her current form than as a monkey.

"Thank you," Mia said politely, but she smelled the tea and then set the cup aside without taking one sip. Perhaps she wasn't as foolish as Zelena may have thought. The tea was just that - tea, but one could never be too careful.

"Just what has your mother told you about her family?" Zelena queried gently.

"That she doesn't have one."

Zelena smiled. "Mary Margaret and David are not your mother's friends. They are much more than that."

"Henry and I knew she was lying about how she and Mary Margaret met! She said they met in jail. Who gets arrested for banditry?"

"Oh, I don't know. Snow White?" Zelena watched the girl carefully to gauge her reaction.

Mia scrunched her face up. "That's…not exactly the way I remember the story."

Zelena blinked. "Well, what version of the story do you know?"

Mia gave her a strange look. "Um…the normal one. You know, she eats a poisoned apple and the prince saves her with a kiss?"

"I think whoever told you the story may have left a few key parts out."

Mia snorted. "It's not like it's a true story."

"Oh, but it is." Zelena produced the thick leather-bound storybook that had once belonged to her sister's adopted son out of thin air and slid it across the kitchen table to the little girl.

The girl glanced at the cover without any interest. "I'm a little old for fairy tales."

"Even if your mother's story begins in that book?"

"Oh yeah? Which princess is she?" Mia said with heavy skepticism. "Because in all the Disney movies I've seen, I don't remember a Princess Emma."

"Emma is Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter." Zelena focused on the book, and it opened to the part of the story she wanted the girl to read. Mia looked startled when the pages started flipping on their own. "Go ahead, have a look."

The girl eyed the open page a little warily. "A daughter named Emma. That's…" She looked up at her like she thought she was crazy. "You don't actually think my mom is Snow White's daughter, do you?"

"Look very closely. Does Snow White look like anyone you know?" Zelena asked instead of answering.

Mia barely spared a glance at the glossy illustration on the open page. "Not really."

Zelena pushed her impatience aside…the girl was refusing to see what was right in front of her. "Not even Mary Margaret?"

"Right…black hair and skin as white as snow or whatever? It's March. There hasn't been a whole lot of sun in the last five or six months. Snooki would be pale if she lived here."

"Who is Snooki?"

"She's - never mind. So other than this whole…fairy tale thing," Mia said in a tone of complete disbelief, "is there anything Emma's not telling me?"

"She has magic."

Mia stared. "Magic? Like in Harry Potter?"

Zelena frowned, unable to make sense of half of what the girl said. "Who is Harry Potter?"

"Seriously? What rock have you been living under?"

 _That_ Zelena understood perfectly. She narrowed her eyes, trying to remember that a little girl this close to the savior could be very useful. "Oh, I don't know…the same rock you've been living under to not see what's right in front of you."

"Maybe Emma was right," the girl muttered under her breath. She stood up. "Thank you for…the tea. I have to go now."

Oh, no, that would simply not do…the savior's daughter was supposed to leave angry – or rather _angrier_ – with the savior for lying, _not_ with a newfound trust in her. This was not going at all the way Zelena had planned.

"You can't go yet." Zelena stopped the girl from moving, sticking her feet to the floor with magic. "You wanted to know everything your mother isn't telling you? Well, we're just getting started, dear."

Mia realized she couldn't move. Her eyes widened in horror. "What- what did you _do_ to me?"

"Why, magic of course."

 **Author's Note:** Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

I originally wrote this with Emma telling Mia about magic. The way it played out would have been very different, but Mia would have ultimately reacted the same way. I'm basing her reaction a little bit off of how Emma acted in the beginning of season one when Henry first told her everyone was a fairy tale character and a little bit off of how Emma acted in S4E11 when Ingrid tried to tell her she had powers.

For those who want to see Mia and Zelena bonding, don't worry…this scene and the one to come in the next chapter will _not_ be the end of that. They have an awful lot in common and they will connect over it. I have a whole storyline planned for them. Please let me know if there is anything you really want to see with them and I'll do my best to include it if it makes sense with the story.

Also, when David said Mia's behavior sounded familiar, I was thinking of two scenes in particular. I was originally going to include them as memories, but I didn't want to write verbatim what we've all seen in the show...I try not to do that. The scenes I'm thinking of are from S2E10 when Emma, Mary Margaret and David are talking as they wait for Henry's bus and from S3E01 when Mary Margaret first tried to talk to Emma on the Jolly Roger. How was the scene with Emma, David and Mary Margaret? Mary Margaret is harder for me to write for some reason.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Zelena had seemed nice and normal at first, but now…now she just seemed completely and totally insane. The woman actually believed Emma was Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter.

Mia couldn't even believe this was really happening…she was having a conversation about her birth mother being a fairy tale character – or the daughter of a couple of fairy tale characters? She wasn't sure. It didn't even matter…it was crazy.

Just when she thought the conversation couldn't get any more ridiculous, Zelena told her that Emma had magic…like in Harry Potter…even though apparently the redhead had never heard of Harry Potter. Mia wondered if the woman had recently escaped from a mental hospital.

Mia stood up. "Thank you for…the tea. I have to go now." She started to back away slowly, eyeing the woman warily.

"You can't go yet." Oh, shit…Mia should have known the crazy lady wouldn't just let her leave. "You wanted to know everything your mother isn't telling you. Well, we're just getting started, dear."

As much as Mia hated to admit it, even just to herself, she was starting to think maybe Emma was right about Zelena – and if that was true, she was in a kidnapper's house in the middle of the woods where no one would hear her scream.

Mia tried to run, but she couldn't move. It was like her limbs had just stopped working completely. Panic flooded her. "What- what did you do to me?" She hadn't even had one sip of the tea…the woman couldn't have drugged her…could she have?

"Why, magic of course." What the hell? Magic only existed in books and movies…it wasn't real. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you."

The woman's tone was almost soothing, but Mia had heard that from far too many people who had, in fact, hurt her to believe it for one second. She had also seen enough crime shows on TV to know her kidnapper wasn't just going to let her go. No, Mia may not know what Zelena was going to do to her, but she knew exactly how this was going to end. Out of all the shitty situations she'd been in, this was the first time Mia had felt deep down that she wouldn't make it out alive. She swallowed a lump in her throat.

"You're not going to let me go, not when I know – when I could tell someone…" Tell someone _what_ though? Mia didn't even know what she would tell anyone if she somehow managed to get out of there alive…she didn't think anyone would believe her if she told them what happened…it was crazy…they would think _she_ was crazy.

Zelena arched her eyebrows. "Tell someone? You mean tell Emma?" She tilted her head back and laughed. "There's nothing you could tell her that she doesn't already know!"

Maybe Zelena was telling the truth - about that, at least. The rest of what she had said was crazy talk. But it was possible Emma knew how crazy Zelena was, and that was why she wanted Mia to stay away from the redheaded woman. At the time, Mia had thought Emma was the crazy one for being so overprotective.

Mia tried to remember what Emma had said exactly. People were disappearing and they thought Zelena was involved…they thought she was dangerous. She wondered what that meant…were the people that had "disappeared" dead or locked in the cellar somewhere? She had a bad feeling she would find out soon enough. A sense of impending doom settled like lead in the pit of her stomach.

The realization that she would probably never see Emma again hit Mia hard…harder than she thought it should considering she'd only known the woman for a week. Mia had never thought that the last time they talked would be the last time she talked to Emma _ever_ , and she felt a pang of guilt at how she had left things with her birth mother. As she replayed all of the conversations they'd had that day in her head, regret overwhelmed her. She finally had what she'd always wanted – her mom – and she'd wasted all the time they had together being angry.

Mia hadn't even realized Zelena had started speaking again. She barely heard the woman talking casually about Emma being some kind of savior and a curse – or curses as in multiple? Mia didn't know. It all sounded crazy to her, and she didn't bother trying to make sense out of it. Instead, her eyes roamed the kitchen, carefully mapping all of the ways out and noting any household items that could be used as a weapon if she could just move. But her feet remained glued to the floor in spite of her brain screaming at her to run. What was wrong with her? Tears of frustration stung her eyes. She hated feeling helpless like this. It was how she always felt with Trey, and it was the worst feeling in the world.

Zelena narrowed her eyes. "Why are you crying?"

"You're crazy!" Mia burst out almost hysterically.

"If I am, you are, doll." Zelena disappeared before Mia's eyes in a puff of green smoke and reappeared next to Mia. If she could have, Mia would have jumped out of her skin. She was confused and scared. She felt stupid for wondering if it really was magic. Zelena let out a short laugh. "Still think I'm crazy?"

Mia blinked, unable to believe her eyes. People couldn't just 'poof' from one place to another. It wasn't possible. "I don't know."

Zelena surveyed her for several seconds. "What would convince you that I'm telling the truth?"

Mia stared incredulously. "That my mom is a fairy tale character?"

"The savior," Zelena corrected gently.

"You'd think she could save her own daughter then," Mia mumbled under her breath.

"She saved your brother. Twice actually, but who's counting?"

Mia narrowed her eyes, wondering why the crazy lady was so worried about what Emma was doing – or had done in her delusions. "Sounds like you are."

"Aren't you?"

"What's the deal with you and Emma?" Mia asked instead of answering her. Now that she knew she was dealing with a crazy woman, the woman's strange interest in Emma unnerved her. She didn't like it.

"Isn't it obvious? She's the savior, and I'm wicked," Zelena said…like she actually thought that was a reasonable explanation.

Mia stared. "You're… _wicked_?"

"The Wicked Witch of the West." Of course the woman thought she was a character from The Wizard of Oz. Why wouldn't she? She seemed to think everyone else in the town was a fairy tale character.

"Okay…" Mia said slowly. "So, I'm…what? Bait? Because if that's the case, I think you've got the wrong kid. Emma probably thinks I ran away."

"If I wanted to use anyone as bait, it would be your brother. No, you aren't bait. You and I…we're sort of kindred spirits."

Mia gaped at her, not liking the comparison. "We are?"

"My mother tossed me in a basket when I was born and sent me away. She gave me up without even blinking an eye. My adoptive father was a sad, drunk man who never wanted me. I had nothing, and my little sister had everything. My mother kept her and gave her everything I should have had."

"Maybe we are," Mia acknowledged reluctantly.

"Everything I told you is true. Believe it or don't. I…see a bit of myself in you, and I thought you deserved to know the truth."

Zelena motioned toward her. Mia flinched, but the pain she expected never came. She felt something she couldn't even begin to describe wash over her body, but it didn't hurt. She realized with a start that she could move again.

Mia edged closer to the chair she had been sitting in before she tried to leave and gripped the back of the chair tightly, hoping it looked like she was just holding onto it for support. She wasn't. She was considering throwing it at the redheaded woman if she needed to in order to get away.

"Sit down if you're going to stay," Zelena said hospitably, surprising her.

"I- I can go?" Mia squeaked.

"Yes, you can go. I think that's just about everything your mother isn't telling you."

* * *

Emma knew something was up the second she read the text message Hook sent her from Henry's phone. Mia had _not_ wanted to go with Hook. It seemed way too convenient that the girl was suddenly seasick when she'd been fine on a boat with Leroy just the day before. And if she _really_ got seasick, Emma was sure Mia would have used that when she was trying to get out of going, but Mia didn't do that because Emma would have known she was lying.

It couldn't have been easy for a twelve year old, even a smart one, to play the pirate, and Emma couldn't believe he let Mia play him. She wanted to blame Hook for this, but she knew that she couldn't. Even Neal had fallen for Henry "going to the bathroom" in Granny's, and Henry was _Neal's_ son. Neal should have known better than anyone that when Henry took his backpack, he wasn't coming back from the bathroom. Maybe Emma was the only one that saw right through her kids' tricks…it must be because she had that thing with lying…or just because she was their mom. And that was why the only person she could blame for this was herself.

To his credit, Hook had sent the text message to her almost immediately and had Mr. Smee walk Mia back to Granny's, where Granny had agreed to watch her. But it would have been all-too-easy for her daughter to slip away if the diner was busy and the older woman was distracted, and that was exactly what Mia had done. The empty room only confirmed what Emma already suspected…Mia was not where anyone thought she was.

Emma looked around the room quickly, not wanting to waste time when she needed to find her daughter. The black bomber jacket the girl always wore was draped over the back of the couch, which meant she was still wearing Emma's black leather jacket. Good…it was warmer. All the new clothes Emma bought her daughter were still in the shopping bag with the exception of the few things the girl had already worn. Most importantly Mia's backpack was sitting on the floor by the bed. Mia wasn't running.

Emma knew where her kid was. She thought she'd known the moment that text message came across…she was just really hoping she was wrong. She wasn't wrong though…Mia _was_ with Zelena. The kid actually would have been safer if she had hopped a bus back to New York…harder to find, but far safer. Emma had to get to her and fast. But first, she called Regina for magical back up.

"Miss Swan, I _said_ I have it handled," Regina said irritably when she answered.

"Hi, Regina," Emma said a little sarcastically since Regina hadn't actually said hi. "If by 'it' you mean Zelena, it's not as handled as you thought. Mia's with her."

"Why would _your_ daughter be with _my_ sister?" Regina asked after several seconds.

"Because I told her to stay away from Zelena," Emma said wryly. And Mia couldn't have just listened to her…just like _she_ hadn't listened to Mary Margaret. Her daughter was too much like her for her own good.

"I'm afraid to even ask, but where's Henry?"

"Don't worry, he's with Hook."

"There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear." Emma could hear Regina sigh through the phone. "How sure are you that your daughter is even with my sister? Is it safe to assume you did a locator spell?"

"I don't need a locator spell." Emma also didn't know how to do a locator spell, but didn't think she needed one this time…she _knew_ where Mia was. "She's my daughter, and it's what I would do."

"She is your daughter," Regina muttered in agreement. "But if she's really with Zelena, you can't go alone."

* * *

Mia made a hasty exit from the farmhouse before Zelena could change her mind. She walked until she was sure she was out of Zelena's line of sight, not wanting the woman to see how scared she was. Once she made it into the cover of the dense trees, she started running.

She didn't pay attention to where she was going…she just ran. She ran as fast and as far as she could. She pushed and fought her way through overgrown tree limbs. She ignored the tightness in her chest and the stitch in her side and just kept moving somehow. She kept going until she felt like she was going to throw up. She didn't know if the sudden nausea was from all of the running or the anxiety that had tied her stomach in knots.

She bent over, gasping for air. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. She clutched her stomach with one hand and put her other hand over her racing heart. She realized her hand was shaking… _both_ of her hands were shaking. She gasped.

What was _wrong_ with her? First she physically couldn't move and then she was seeing things that couldn't be real. People didn't just disappear into thin air and reappear someplace else seconds later the way Zelena did! How did the redheaded woman do that? Mia wouldn't let herself believe it was magic. It made her head hurt to even try to make sense of what had happened back at the farmhouse. And now…now she could barely breathe and she was shaking uncontrollably. It was her…there had to be something wrong with her. Panic jolted through her, shutting off her air supply.

Mia let out a choked sob and almost collapsed against the closest tree, sinking down to the ground and drawing her knees to her chest. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Her breaths were coming in terrified sobs and gasps, but she wasn't getting enough air. She struggled to slow her breathing. It was Emma's familiar scent hitting her as she breathed in that had a calming effect on her…it must be coming from the jacket she was wearing – Emma's leather jacket.

Mia didn't know how long it took for her breathing to return to normal…just that when it did, it was already starting to get dark outside. As she looked around, Mia realized she didn't really know where she was. Well, she knew she was in the middle of the woods, but she didn't know where exactly. There were no landmarks of any kind…just trees as far as the eye could see. She wondered what the chances were that she'd make it back to Granny's before Emma…she didn't think they were good considering she didn't even know _how_ to get back to Granny's from there. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She was lost…in the middle of the woods…at night. This was bad. She didn't want to go the wrong direction…that could take her even deeper into the woods - and further away from civilization. She could wait there and hope someone would find her, but she didn't even know if anyone was even looking for her. The only person who would look for her was Emma, and she would probably think Mia hopped a bus back to New York, not that she went for an impromptu nature walk in the woods. She didn't know if she really wanted to be found…at least not by Emma if the woman was as mad as Mia thought she would be.

Mia buried her head in her hands. What was she going to tell Emma? She knew she couldn't tell anyone what had happened at the farmhouse. She didn't know if it had actually happened or if she was hallucinating, but she knew no one would believe her, whether or not it was real. _Emma_ wouldn't believe her. Emma would think she was crazy. Hell, maybe she _was_ crazy. She'd end up locked up in a mental institution.

She would have to come up with something to tell Emma…something good since the woman always seemed to know when she was lying. Maybe if she didn't lie…if she just didn't go into specifics...but no, no matter how vague she was, she didn't think she could leave Zelena out of the story completely without Emma knowing something was off. She groaned to herself. Why did she have to go looking for Zelena after Emma told her to stay away from her?

Mia knew she had fucked up. There was really no other word for it. In her defense, she never imagined things would play out the way they did. How could she have? She thought she would have plenty of time to find Zelena, get the answers she wanted, and get back to the room at Granny's before Emma. She hadn't taken the time to think about what would happen if she _didn't_ beat Emma back. She felt her stomach twist at that thought, forming a brand new knot. This felt different from any of the other things she'd done that she knew Emma had not been happy about. She couldn't play dumb this time…she _knew_ Emma did _not_ want her anywhere near Zelena.

Mia didn't know how Emma would react to her doing the exact opposite of what the woman had told her to do. Oh, she knew how every foster parent she'd ever had would react – and _had_ reacted – when she did anything they didn't like. For people that didn't want her in the first place and only tolerated her because she came attached with a government check, it was easy to just give up on her if she didn't act the way they wanted her to.

She knew this was different - _Emma_ was different. Emma was her real mom, not just another foster mother, but Mia also knew Emma didn't want her, not really. The woman had given her away when she was born, had never tried to find her, and wouldn't have even told Mia that she was her mom if it hadn't been for Neal. In spite of all of that, Emma _was_ trying. Mia could tell Emma was trying to fix things with her, but she didn't know if that was even possible and didn't know how long the woman would keep trying before she gave up, too. Everyone gave up on her…it was only a matter of time…maybe only hours or even minutes if Emma was really pissed off.

She fought the instinct to run…to leave before Emma could send her away. When she was in the farmhouse and she thought, for however brief a moment, that Zelena wasn't going to let her leave, Mia had felt awful about how she left things with her birth mother. In that moment, she wanted more time with her mom so badly. She couldn't leave, not now…

* * *

"Hello, sis. I said Main Street at sundown tomorrow. You're a little early," Zelena said.

"I'm not here for _that_ ," Regina told her.

"Where's Mia?" Emma demanded, trying to see past Zelena and into the farmhouse.

"Oh, I'm afraid you're a little too late."

Emma felt her heart drop to her stomach. "No," she said in a voice that was barely recognizable to her own ears. "No!" She made an angry movement toward Zelena, but Regina grabbed a hold of the back of her jacket to stop her. She was surprised how fast Regina reacted.

"You didn't kill her," Regina said calmly. Emma's eyes shot to Zelena, looking for any sign that Regina was right…that her daughter was okay. "If we really are related, you cannot possibly have underestimated how valuable the savior's daughter could be to you in whatever it is that you're planning."

Zelena actually laughed. Emma would have punched her in the face if she could have, but Regina's grip on her jacket tightened like she knew exactly what Emma was going to do. "Who said anything about killing her? I rather like the girl. We had a lovely little chat."

Emma stilled, but kept her hands balled into fists at her sides. "What did you do to her?"

"I told her the truth."

"That's it?" Regina said in a tone of disbelief. "You told her the truth? You didn't turn her into one of your little flying monkeys?"

"I told her what her own mother wouldn't. She didn't even know who Emma really is…the savior." Zelena turned to Emma. "I'm not sure she believed me, but she will. And then she will know you saved everyone except her. You saved her brother, but not her. Never her. She's not nearly as angry with you as she should be."

"You're trying to turn Miss Swan's daughter against her," Regina surmised coolly.

"Not just trying. Succeeding," Zelena corrected. She turned to Emma again. "If you try to interfere with my plans, I won't just kill your daughter. I'll take her from you. You'll have to watch as she chooses me over you…as she chooses revenge over forgiveness."

"Revenge? For _what_?" Regina looked and sounded incredulous.

"Abandonment," Zelena answered.

The witch's words scared the hell out of Emma. She couldn't see Mia forgiving her, at least not any time soon. She couldn't imagine having to choose between good and…well, her kid - if Mia really took the wicked witch's side. She had to make damn sure _that_ didn't happen.

"You'll never get anywhere near her again," Emma said fiercely.

"Oh, I don't have to. She came to me today, and she will come to me again."

"I'm not going to let that happen." Emma lunged at Zelena, almost breaking Regina's hold, but Regina's grip twisted the red leather of her jacket by her neck and pulled her back.

"Miss Swan. _Emma_! Getting yourself killed will not help your daughter or our son," Regina hissed into her ear.

Emma stopped struggling and nodded, knowing Regina was right, even if she wanted nothing more than to kill the wicked witch for messing with her family. Neal was dead because of her, and now…now the witch was messing with her kid's head.

"You should listen to my sister. I was and am Rumplestiltskin's best student. He taught me well…maybe a little too well. I know every trick in his book. And you," Zelena said, scoffing at Emma. "Well, you haven't even learned how to do a simple locator spell. If you had, you wouldn't be here. You'd be wherever Mia is."

"What exactly is this master plan you don't want Miss Swan interfering with? To kill me?" Regina asked with her eyes narrowed.

"I don't want to kill you. I want to destroy you."

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" Regina demanded.

"You were born," Zelena said simply.

* * *

" _Now_ can we do a locator spell?"

"I don't have anything of Mia's with me," Emma admitted tonelessly.

Regina looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but stopped herself. "Of course you don't. Give me your hand."

"What? Why?"

"If you want _my_ help finding _your_ daughter, you're going to have to trust me."

"I do trust you."

"Good," Regina said, producing a small blade out of thin air. "This may sting."

Emma's eyes widened, but she forced herself to stay still and let the other woman make a small cut on her hand. She wanted to show Regina that she did trust her. She stifled a wince as a drop of blood bubbled to the surface. Regina collected the blood and used it in a spell that created a…floating ball of silvery light?

Emma eyed the glowing ball a little warily. "What _is_ that?"

" _That_ is what will lead us to Mia."

They followed the magical ball of light, ducking under tree limbs and stepping carefully over roots that stuck out in the ground as they went deeper and deeper into the woods.

"So, listen, I know you said you don't want any help with Zelena, but she has Gold on her side. It's two against one. I know I'm not exactly in the same league as them-" Regina snorted, and Emma shot her a look. "But I want you to know I am on your side, Regina."

Regina stopped and turned to face her. "Did you not hear her? Rumple taught her - he taught both of us everything we know about magic…and he thinks she's stronger than I am."

"Then you can't do it alone, and you don't have to," Emma insisted. "Not this time."

"Great," Regina said unenthusiastically. "My sister has the Dark One, and I have-"

"The savior," Emma interrupted before Regina could say something else. "It's not a job I ever wanted, and I almost didn't come back to do it, but it's what I am. Let me help you. I am the savior. I have magic. I just don't always know how to control it. If you teach me…"

Regina eyed her warily. "Now, why does this feel so familiar?"

"I'm ready this time."

"Are you?" Regina questioned. "Because it seems to me you have your hands full with your daughter."

Emma felt defensive of Mia even though her daughter _was_ a handful. "She's not the first kid to not listen to her mother. Hell, she's not the first kid to talk to a stranger. It's just when most kids talk to strangers, the stranger isn't the Wicked Witch of the West."

"I suppose I should be grateful that when Henry was sneaking around behind my back to see a strange woman, it was you," Regina mused.

Emma glanced at her, knowing that wasn't exactly a compliment. "Thanks…I think."

"If you really think you can keep your daughter away from my sister during lessons, meet me at my vault tomorrow morning," was all Regina said in response.

"I'll be there."

* * *

They found Mia miles away from Zelena's farmhouse. She was sitting on the ground with her back pressed against a tree trunk, her knees drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees and her head buried in her knees. She looked like a lost little girl, smaller and more vulnerable than Emma had ever seen her.

"Mia!" Emma yelled without thinking.

The girl's head shot up. "Emma?" She called out nervously.

Emma broke into a run. After thinking for one horrible second that she'd been too late to save her kid from the wicked witch, Emma wanted to see Mia for herself and know that she was okay.

When Emma got close enough to see Mia's face, she could tell her daughter had been crying. Her eyes were dry, but they were rimmed with red and there were tear tracks visible on the girl's pale skin. If Zelena hurt her kid…

Emma kneeled on the ground in front of Mia, resting her hands on the top of the girl's shoulders while she looked her over carefully for any visible signs of hurt. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Emma didn't believe her, but she didn't want to push her on it. Instead, she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. She was pleasantly surprised when the girl threw her skinny arms around her and hugged her back. The girl wasn't just hugging her…she was clinging to her almost desperately. Okay, screw it…Emma was going to push her on this.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** This is all Emma and Mia. It's a big breakthrough for them and I hope you like how it plays out. I have a good Emma and Henry talk written and planned to include it at the end, but it felt like this should be more of a standalone so I'm saving it for the next chapter. As always, thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

 **Chapter 19**

"Mia!"

Mia recognized Emma's voice and looked up, squinting at an almost blinding bright light in the otherwise dark woods. She couldn't tell just from Emma's voice how angry she was, and she couldn't really see the woman's facial expression at this distance. "Emma?"

It took Mia a minute to realize the light wasn't coming from a flashlight like she originally thought. It was coming from a ball of light that seemed to be…floating in mid-air? Mia shook her head, hoping to clear it…but no…she still saw a floating ball of light. What the hell?

Mia watched with wide eyes as the strange ball of light floated over to her, lingering in front of her for a few seconds before fading out completely. She blinked in the sudden darkness. She didn't think Emma had seen the strange light…Emma didn't react to it going out at all. _Great_ , Mia was the only one that saw it…because it wasn't real.

Mia felt Emma's hands on her shoulders and looked at her. Emma didn't _look_ mad…she looked worried…about her. Mia was still getting used to having someone that worried about her. It wasn't the first time Emma had been worried about her, but this time Mia actually understood _why_ the woman was so worried. She had to look away from the full intensity of Emma's concerned gaze.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked. Mia could still feel Emma's eyes on her, and knew the woman was looking her over for any signs of hurt. There weren't any…Zelena didn't actually hurt her.

"I'm fine," Mia lied. She wasn't fine…she was hallucinating. She didn't know what was wrong with her and it scared the hell out of her, but she didn't want Emma to think she was crazy.

Mia avoided Emma's gaze, not wanting the woman to read the lie on her face. She felt Emma's hands move from the top of her shoulders and then she was being pulled into a tight hug. She didn't understand why the woman was hugging her when she should be yelling at her for what she'd done, but she didn't want her birth mother to let go yet so she didn't question it. All she wanted was her mom and, in that moment at least, her mom was there. She let herself to take comfort in being held by her mom. She threw her own arms around the woman, holding on to her tightly. They stayed like that for a long moment…several seconds at least…maybe even a full minute.

After several long seconds, Mia felt Emma start to pull back a little and reluctantly relaxed her own death grip. The woman pulled away just enough to look at her, moving her hands back to the top of Mia's shoulders.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Mia blurted out what she'd been wondering.

Emma frowned, looking confused. "When have I ever been mean to you?"

"You haven't," Mia said quietly. "I just…I don't deserve it. I mean, not now. I didn't listen to you."

"I know," Emma said evenly.

Mia's eyes widened. "You…you know? Then - aren't you mad at me?"

"Oh, I am. I think I made it pretty clear that I didn't want you to go anywhere near Zelena. But here's the thing - you're a kid…you're supposed to screw up. _All_ kids screw up sometimes. The person I'm really angry with is myself for not stopping you."

Mia shook her head slightly, knowing it didn't matter what Emma did…she would have found a way around her. "You couldn't have stopped me."

Emma looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, I could have. And I am going to stop you if the mood ever strikes you to have a chat with Zelena again," she said in a firmer voice than Mia had heard from the woman before. "Understood?"

Mia lowered her gaze to the ground, nodding.

"I asked you for your word that you would stay away from Zelena before." Emma hadn't exactly _asked_ …it had been more of a demand, but Mia knew it wasn't the time to argue the point. "You didn't have any intention of doing that, did you?"

"No," Mia muttered, hating that her voice came out smaller than normal. She felt like a little kid in that moment.

Emma didn't look surprised. She just nodded slightly to herself, apparently having made a decision…a decision about what to do with her. The woman's expression turned steely and Mia felt her stomach flip-flop. "I know you have a lot of anger toward me. Right now I don't care how angry you are…it doesn't change the fact that I am your mother. I hope it will be possible for you to forgive me some day, but I don't expect forgiveness. There's a lot that's happened to you that you blame me for. I wish I could go back and change things, but I can't. It's too late for that, but it's not too late for me to be your mom. You're twelve. I know you don't feel like a kid, but that's what you are…you're my kid. Whether or not you forgive me, it's time for you to start listening to me."

"Or what?" Mia held her breath as she waited for the answer she expected…something to the effect of 'or I can't do this anymore.'

Emma looked like she was at a complete loss for words for a moment. "Or I don't know if I can protect you from Zelena. I can keep you safe and I will if you just listen to me," she finally said with just the tiniest bit of exasperation in her tone.

"And what if I don't?" Mia didn't know why she was pushing Emma on this, but she wanted – no, _needed_ – to know if it was possible to push her birth mother away. She wasn't going to get close – or _closer_ – to the woman if she was going to be sent back. "What if I screw up yet again? Are you going to send me back?"

Emma met her gaze and Mia saw understanding in her eyes. "No. You can _never_ screw up badly enough for me to just give up on you. You are _my_ daughter. There is nothing you can do or say to change that. You're mine. Okay? Do you understand?"

Mia felt tears forming in her eyes and blinked them back. She nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak.

"Are you going to stop fighting me on everything?"

"Well, not on _everything_ …"

* * *

Emma stifled a small smile. "How about just on Zelena then?"

"I will stay far, far away from her," Mia told her.

Well, that was easy…maybe a little too easy. It was almost like Mia didn't _want_ to talk to Zelena again, which was weird because Zelena seemed pretty confident that Mia would be back for another chat.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "What happened back at the farmhouse? What aren't you telling me?"

"There's nothing _to_ tell."

Emma gave her kid a disappointed look. "I don't believe you."

"Why does it even matter?" Mia asked with frustration in her voice. "I already said I'll stay away from her."

"It matters because _you_ matter," Emma told her. "And the fact that you are so desperate to avoid the question tells me that _something_ happened. Whatever it is, you don't have to be afraid to tell me. I won't get mad. Just tell me honestly – what happened between you and Zelena?"

"I'm not afraid you'll be mad."

"Okay. Then what are you so afraid of?" Emma asked gently.

"That you won't believe me," Mia whispered.

"Tell me the truth and that won't be a problem. I can tell when you're lying."

"It's crazy… _she's_ crazy. Everything she said was just - insane."

 _Oh._ So _that_ was what had her daughter so uneasy. Her own conversation with Zelena ran through Emma's head.

 _"What did you do to her?"_

 _"I told her the truth."_

 _"That's it? You told her the truth? You didn't turn her into one of your little flying monkeys?"_

 _"I told her what her own mother wouldn't. She didn't even know who Emma really is…the savior. I'm not sure she believed me, but she will."_

Emma didn't know exactly what Zelena said to Mia…she didn't know if Zelena had told her everything – and if she had, what kind of spin the other woman might have put on it…she knew Zelena's goal was ultimately to turn Mia against her.

After her conversation with Zelena, Emma had expected her daughter to be angry – maybe even _angrier_ than she had already been - when she found her. Instead, she'd been shocked when the kid that had done nothing but push her away up until that point had accepted a hug from her and even hugged her back, holding on like she never wanted to let go.

Emma knew then that her kid was upset and decided she _had_ to push her to talk. She was about to do exactly that, but it turned out she didn't have to…Mia started talking on her own. Mia knew she had screwed up big-time and was afraid Emma would give up on her, which would never happen. Now Emma realized that wasn't the only thing that her kid was afraid of.

"Mia, I don't know what she said exactly, but what I do know is that Zelena told you I'm the savior," Emma said carefully.

Mia glanced at her guiltily and then quickly looked away. "You knew she was crazy…that's why you wanted me to stay away from her."

"Actually, she's not crazy," Emma said with a sigh. "She's just dangerous. You might even say she's wicked." She watched her daughter to gauge her reaction to that word.

Mia rolled her eyes. "Right, because she thinks she's the Wicked Witch of the West."

"She really is the Wicked Witch of the West. And I really am the savior. That's why I wanted you to stay away from her," Emma told her.

"She thinks you saved everyone from some…some curse," Mia said like it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. Emma knew it probably _was_.

"I know how crazy it sounds," Emma acknowledged. "But it's true. You can ask anyone in this town." If Regina were still there, Emma would ask her to chime in here, but the other woman had left as soon as they knew the locator spell had led them to Mia.

Mia gave her an incredulous look. "Um…she thinks your parents are fairy tale characters." Her voice was higher than normal.

"Snow White and Prince Charming." Emma offered her daughter an apologetic smile. "Look, Mia, I know how hard it is to believe. Believe me, I know. You want to know how I found out?"

Mia blinked. "How?"

"Henry." Emma took a deep breath and tried to explain. "He had this…storybook with all these fairy tales - and not the normal ones. The Snow White in his book had a daughter. And her daughter - she had this baby blanket… _my_ baby blanket. It's the only thing I had with me when I was found on the side of a freeway as a baby."

Mia looked for a second like she was going to say something, but seemed to think better of it.

"Henry told me every story in the book really happened," Emma continued after a moment.

Mia scoffed slightly, but Emma could tell her heart wasn't really in it. "And you believed him?"

"No, not at first," Emma answered honestly. "I needed proof before I believed."

Mia gave her a considering look. "What kind of proof?"

Emma hesitated, not wanting to scare her daughter with the whole story of the poisoned apple turnover. "Something happened that just wasn't possible, not unless magic was real."

Mia gasped. "It's real? I thought I was going crazy!"

"What?" Emma narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Zelena – um…she kind of 'poofed' across the room. I thought – I thought I was seeing things. But it was real, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Emma's eyes narrowed even more as she studied her kid closely. "Did she do anything to you?"

"No!" Mia said quickly…too quickly.

Emma arched her eyebrows at the lie and gave her daughter an unimpressed look. She tried to keep the frustration out of her voice when she spoke. "Really? You're not going to tell me what she did?"

"She didn't do anything. She just…wouldn't let me leave - I mean, not at first. She let me leave…obviously."

Emma stiffened, and felt her daughter's shoulders tense under her hands in response. "She used magic on you?"

Mia bit her lip. "Yes?"

Emma didn't like that the witch had used magic on her daughter to keep her there until she was done messing with her head, but it could have been a lot worse…she could have turned the girl into a flying monkey or ripped her heart out and crushed it.

Emma sighed. "Mia, listen to me. Zelena could have killed you…she _still_ could. And that would destroy me. I'm not willing to risk your safety. Until I can trust you to actually listen to me, I'm not leaving you alone. That means you're with me or someone I trust at all times."

"So I'm grounded?"

The word 'grounded' caught Emma off guard. She'd never grounded anyone before. She knew mothers grounded their kids when they screwed up – and Mia _had_ really screwed up. But things between her and Mia were different…Emma had been Mia's mother for less than a week. She'd been Henry's mother for a couple of years, and she'd never even grounded him, not even the entire year they were in New York and she was his only parent.

Emma almost never had to do more than talk to her son to get through to him, and she hoped she'd get to that point with her daughter, too. She didn't want to screw up all the progress she had just made with Mia by being punitive now.

"No," Emma told her daughter. "You're not stuck in the room at Granny's with no TV. I'm not trying to punish you here. I'm just trying to keep you safe. Can't you see that?"

Mia blushed and looked away, shrugging slightly. "I already told you I'd stay away from Zelena."

"And it's not the first time you've told me you'd stay away from her."

"I said I was sorry," Mia said weakly.

"Actually, you didn't. And being sorry isn't the same as actually staying away from her."

"Emma? I _am_ sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Mia said with just enough of a tremor in her voice for Emma to realize she might have been a little too harsh.

Emma softened her expression. "I appreciate your apology, but you can't fix this with an apology. You're going to have to prove that I can trust you, and it'll take time."

She gave the girl another hug. Mia buried her head in her shoulder - probably because she was trying to hide the fact that she was tearful again. Emma ignored the urge to kiss the top of the girl's head the way she would have if it had been Henry. Instead, Emma rubbed her back. When she felt the girl shiver slightly in the cold night air, Emma knew it was time to go.

Emma pulled back. "Okay, kid," she said as she stood up, pulling her daughter with her. "You ready to go back now? Nothing like a nice hot cocoa and grilled cheese when it's cold out. Comfort food."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Emma kept a hand on her daughter's shoulder, guiding her through the woods. The only light came from Emma's cell phone screen, and they could only see the ground that was right in front of them, but she knew where she was going. She was just using the light to avoid tripping over roots or branches in the darkness.

"So how'd you know where I was?" Mia asked, giving her a curious look.

Emma didn't know if she wanted her daughter to know how easily she could be found with a locator spell. With as many times as Henry had run off and the instinct to run that she _knew_ Mia had and had already acted on, Emma wasn't going to tell her anything that might give her ideas on how _not_ to be found. Once the kid realized magic only worked in Storybrooke, she would know locator spells wouldn't work if she just crossed the town line. Emma would still find her if she ever did that, but Mia would be harder to find.

"Actually, I didn't. Not really. I thought you'd be with Zelena. That's the first place I looked."

"It is?" Mia said in a surprised tone.

Emma gave the girl a questioning look, feeling a little insulted that she was so surprised. She _was_ good at finding people.

"I…thought you'd think I was on a bus back to New York or something," Mia explained, shrugging slightly.

To be fair, the thought had crossed her mind, but Emma had never really thought that was where Mia was, not even before she saw that the girl's backpack and stuff was still in the room at Granny's.

"I know I'm still getting to know you, but I know me, and it seems to me like you're the same way I am," Emma said carefully, not knowing how her daughter would react. "I looked for you where I would have been if it were me."

"And you would have been with the Wicked Witch of the West?"

"No. Let's just say when I found out Mary Margaret was my mother, I didn't listen to her either."

"And you're mad at me for not listening to you?" Mia was looking at her like she was the biggest hypocrite in the world.

"Yes," Emma said unapologetically. "The situations are similar, but they're not exactly the same. I was twenty-eight. You're twelve. It's different."

"It's not _that_ different," Mia muttered under her breath.

Emma sighed wearily. "Yes, it is," she insisted. "I'm an adult. I can take care of myself - and I'd been doing that for ten plus years when I met my parents. You're a kid. When I found you, you were living in an abandoned house eating candy for breakfast. See the difference?"

Mia looked like she wanted to argue, but couldn't come up with a good argument. She kicked the ground in frustration instead, wincing slightly after her foot connected with the ground. She probably thought she'd been taking great care of herself and didn't appreciate Emma telling her otherwise.

Emma wanted to roll her eyes, but didn't. "Well, that was real adult."

"Being a kid sucks!"

"I know. It sucks when the foster parents that are supposed to take care of you don't. And you have been in that situation. So have I so I _know_ it sucks. But you're with me now, and I'm going to take care of you. Don't you want that? To be taken care of?" Emma asked, giving her daughter a searching look.

The question hung between them for several long seconds. _All_ kids wanted to be taken care of, especially kids that had never really been taken care of before, but Emma didn't know if _her_ kid would admit that was what she wanted. It would be easier for both of them if Mia did, but Emma knew how hard it would be for Mia to admit.

"Is that why you're doing all this? Because you don't think I can take care of myself?" Mia asked with hurt in her voice.

"No. I'm doing it because I'm your mother," Emma told her.

Mia's expression hardened. "And you're _supposed_ to."

"Yes…no. I'm doing it because I want to…because I care about you."

Mia glanced at her seemingly in surprise and then quickly looked down at the ground, blushing. "Maybe…maybe it wouldn't totally suck to be taken care of," she mumbled quietly.

"Then stop fighting me and let me take care of you," Emma said, offering her daughter a tired yet soft smile.

Mia looked up, smirking slightly. "Hey, I only agreed to stop fighting you on Zelena."

Mia definitely wasn't going to make anything easy on her, was she? Emma just shook her head slightly at the girl.

Mia tilted her head to look at her curiously. "So what'd you do that Mary Margaret didn't want you to? You said you didn't listen to her…"

"Oh. Um…I almost got myself killed by an ogre because I didn't listen to her. The same way you could have gotten yourself killed today," Emma said, arching her eyebrows pointedly.

"Seriously? An ogre?" Mia said, choosing to ignore the reminder of what could have happened to her.

Emma let out a short laugh. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction, too, kid. Mary Margaret shot it in the eye with an arrow to stop it from killing me."

Mia stared in disbelief. "Mary Margaret? The same Mary Margaret that reads baby books and knits blankets? That's actually kind of badass."

"She was protecting me. That's what mothers do, even when their kids don't make it easy." Emma nudged the girl's shoulder and was glad to see the hint of a small, sheepish grin on the girl's face.

"So are there, like, ogres running around town?" Mia asked.

Emma glanced at her. "Why? Are you going to go looking for one? Because I've got to tell you - I'm not that good with an arrow."

Mia snorted. "No. I was just wondering."

* * *

When they reached Granny's, Mia swiped furiously at her now-dry eyes and scrubbed her hands over the tear tracks that had long-since dried on her face.

Emma smiled sympathetically at the self-conscious girl. "How about you go take a hot shower to warm up and I'll order for you? Grilled cheese?"

Mia gave her a small, grateful smile and nodded. Emma watched the girl disappear down the long hallway and into their room before turning to go through the door that connected the bed-and-breakfast to the diner, where she found Henry sitting in a booth by himself, picking at a plate of fries.

Emma slid into the booth across from Henry, feeling guilty that he'd been alone. "Hey, kid, how long have you been sitting here alone?"

"I haven't been alone," Henry told her. Emma followed his gaze to where Regina was standing. "I was with my other mom. She's just talking to Mary Margaret and David."

"Fries for dinner?" Emma questioned, frowning slightly at the plate of fries.

"It's just an appetizer," Henry told her with a small grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"For what? An ice cream sundae?" Emma gave him a long look, offering him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about all of this…stuff with your sister."

Henry shrugged. "It's okay."

"It is?" Emma asked in a surprised tone. _She_ didn't think it was okay that Regina had been there for Henry and she hadn't been. She should have been there for him, too.

"Well, no. But it's not your fault. It's _hers_ ," Henry said in an accusatory tone. "She should be happy she's with us now, but she's not. And she's making you feel guilty."

Emma could tell the reason her son was angry was that Mia was hurting _her_ , and it tugged on her heartstrings a little. This kid… "She makes me feel _guiltier_ ," she corrected gently. "But, Henry, I already feel guilty, whether she forgives me or not – whether _you_ do."

"I do," Henry told her fiercely.

Emma smiled. "I'm glad. But I still feel guilty…I have _always_ felt guilty. I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself. The fake memories Regina gave us – the life we could have had if I had been brave enough to keep you? It was really good. It was the kind of life I wanted for you and for Mia."

Henry held her gaze. "You don't have to feel guilty. You gave us up to give us our best chance."

"Yeah, but things could have been better for you…and not just for your sister…but for _you_ , too, Henry."

Henry looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you don't remember right now," Emma started carefully, "but not everything you went through was good."

"I wish I remembered," Henry said with frustration in his voice.

"I know."

Henry's eyes narrowed slightly, a look of betrayal crossing over his face. "You don't want me to remember…do you?"

"Kid…" Emma looked at him, not knowing what to say because it was true…there _was_ a part of her that didn't want him to remember the tough stuff he'd been through because of curses and evil villains. "You want your memories back, and I'm going to try to find a way to make that happen."

"Whatever it is you don't want me to remember," Henry said slowly…like he was thinking as he spoke, "I know you would never hurt me." He looked at her with complete confidence. "And…I don't think my other mom would either."

Emma _had_ hurt him though…by not believing in him the way he had _always_ believed in her. She pictured Henry lying in the hospital bed when he was under the sleeping curse. If she had just believed him about Regina's curse…

Emma swallowed the guilt. "You're right, kid," she said after a moment. It felt like a lie, and it didn't feel good to lie to him, even if it was _never_ her intention to hurt him. "But maybe we didn't always do the best job protecting you."

"Protecting me from _what_?" Henry demanded.

Emma sighed, thinking of the second time she'd almost lost her son. "One of the things I love about you is that you always want to see the best in everyone." He always saw the best in _her_ , even when _she_ didn't see it in herself. "But not everyone is good, especially in _this_ world where there are people that have magic."

Henry's eyes got big and round. "Someone hurt me, didn't they? With magic?"

"Someone tried," Emma said grimly. Her grip on her coffee mug tightened as she thought of Peter Pan.

"You saved me," Henry said…like it was almost a foregone conclusion. His complete faith in her still shocked Emma sometimes. She couldn't ever remember having that kind of faith in anyone.

"I had some help," Emma said honestly. "And even with that, we were almost too late."

Henry was quiet for a moment as he processed it. "But you weren't." He glanced at her with a sudden understanding in his eyes. "Were you too late to save Mia? Is that why she makes you feel so guilty?"

Emma knew that she _was_ too late to save her daughter from Trey and from twelve years of people like Trey who had only hurt her. She was too overwhelmed with guilt to speak.

"She said her last foster father was arrested for hurting her foster mom," Henry continued, sounding almost scandalized. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, kid, it is. He was a really bad guy." That wasn't exactly what Emma wanted to say, but she stopped herself from saying what she really thought of the bastard that had almost raped her twelve year old daughter.

"He hurt Mia, didn't he?"

Emma's eyes widened. "Did she tell you that?"

"No. You just did," Henry told her. "You really hate him…I can tell. You don't always like the perps from your cases, but the only way you'd hate him this much is if he hurt someone you love."

"He did hurt her, but don't ask her about it, okay?" Emma said cautiously, knowing Mia wouldn't react too well to that.

"I already did," Henry admitted sheepishly.

What? "Wait, when did you ask her about it?"

Henry played with his fries. "After our dad's funeral."

Emma looked at her son with a knowing expression. "It was before she left, wasn't it?"

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to understand why she's so mad at you," Henry said earnestly.

"Kid," Emma said with a small sigh. "Going through it was painful enough. It's probably not helpful to remind her of it…or anything else she went through in the system."

"Is that why you never talk about what it was like growing up in the system?" Henry asked sadly.

Emma stilled. "Henry…"

"What? You grew up in the system like Mia, and you _never_ talk about it. You can tell me, you know. I can handle it. Did your foster parents hurt you?"

"Henry, I didn't have the best childhood, and it's a part of my life I want to forget," Emma said carefully.

Henry frowned. "But you always tell me that talking to you about what's bothering me will make me feel better."

Well, he had her there. She _did_ always tell him that. "Well, that is a superpower that moms have."

Henry looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I thought your superpower was knowing when I'm lying."

Emma glanced at him with an amused expression. "Yeah, that, too, but that's not a mom thing. It's not just when you and Mia lie…it's when anyone lies to me."

"I think I have that, too," Henry told her.

"Oh, really?" Emma said in an amused tone.

"Mr. Smee walked Mia back to Granny's… _Mr. Smee_ like from Peter Pan," Henry said, watching her carefully. "Killian said it's a common seafaring name. But he was lying, wasn't he?"

"Yes…"

Emma gave Henry the Cliff's Notes version of the fairy tale characters currently running around Storybrooke and their history. She was telling him who Zelena really was when Regina came back over, sliding into the booth next to Henry gracefully.

"So she's really the Wicked Witch of the West?"

Regina glanced at Emma in surprise, but recovered quickly. "Yes, Henry, she is," she cut into the conversation, answering before Emma could. She took a deep breath. "And she's especially dangerous to you because she's my sister."

* * *

As they neared Granny's, Mia felt a wave of self-consciousness wash over her. She knew she was a mess. Everyone would know she'd been crying like a baby.

Mia tried to catch a glimpse of her reflection in the window of the diner, wishing she had a mirror. She swiped at her red-rimmed eyes. Maybe she could go wash her face in the bathroom before anyone saw her.

Emma's voice broke into her thoughts. "How about you go take a hot shower to warm up and I'll order for you? Grilled cheese?"

Mia glanced at Emma in surprise. She almost asked what happened to not leaving her alone, but her brain caught up with her mouth and she realized it wouldn't be smart to remind Emma of that just then, not if she actually wanted to get cleaned up, which she did. Instead, she just nodded and headed toward the room before Emma could change her mind.

Although she hadn't accepted her apology, Emma didn't even really seem mad anymore. Mia was used to adults – or at least angry foster parents - being angry with her. Angry adults yelled and screamed, slapped her around, locked her in her room, or sent her back if they were _really_ angry. Angry adults _didn't_ hug her like Emma had or kid around with her like Emma had been.

Mia understood that the punishments for _real_ kids were different than the punishments for _foster_ kids. She'd been in a few foster homes where the parents had a kid of their own. She'd also heard kids at school complaining about being 'grounded' for things that Mia knew _she_ would have been kicked out for. It was funny…they weren't allowed to go anywhere, whereas she would have been gone for good.

Emma's reaction didn't seem to fit into either the foster parent category or the real parent category. Emma was mad – or at least she had been mad…she had said as much. And yet Emma wasn't going to punish her. It didn't make sense.

Mia stood under the showerhead for a long time and just let the hard spray wash away the tear tracks on her face from crying, the sweat from running from the farmhouse, and the grime from fighting her way through the woods. The hot water felt good after being out in the cold.

When she got out of the shower, Mia pulled on Emma's Yankees sweatshirt and one of the new pairs of jeans Emma had bought her than she hadn't worn yet. The sweatshirt was warm and comfortable, and still smelled like Emma even though the woman's scent had faded a bit since Mia had been wearing it for the last week.

Mia used the blow dryer for about five minutes before she grew impatient. Her hair wasn't wet anymore, but it was still a little damp and was curling into waves. She considered borrowing Emma's flat iron, but decided she didn't have the patience for straightening her hair. It hadn't taken long when Emma was helping her, but Mia thought it would take a lot longer if she were the one straightening it.

Mia studied her reflection in the mirror carefully, satisfied that it didn't look like she'd been crying anymore. She was embarrassed that she'd cried on Emma's shoulder like a little girl that needed her mommy. She couldn't really blame the woman for treating her like some stupid kid now, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

It was hugely annoying that Emma was always reminding her of her age, and Mia didn't like that Emma kept calling her 'kid,' although she had heard Emma call Henry 'kid' affectionately and knew the woman didn't mean it the way some of her foster parents had when they referred to her as a 'stupid kid' or a 'screwed up kid.' But being a kid in the foster care system had always been a bad thing.

Mia could vaguely remember being small, young, and helpless in the first few foster homes she'd been in. She remembered how easy it was for the bigger kids to push her around back then and how the foster parents always acted like helping her with anything was a big chore. Foster parents always seemed to have a higher level of tolerance for her when she could take care of herself and didn't need or want anything from them.

In spite of what Emma seemed to think, Mia really could take care of herself. Okay, maybe she had been eating candy bars for breakfast, but at least she'd been eating. Heck, she'd eaten better the week she'd been completely on her own than she had in some of the foster homes she'd been in. She'd been doing just fine before Emma found her living alone in the Gilberts' house.

Since then Emma had been giving her everything she needed without Mia ever having to ask for it - and not just the basics like food and clothes. Mia would never ask for it and didn't think she would ever initiate it, but she liked Emma's little motherly touches…the way the woman would put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeeze gently or wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders. She both hated and liked talking to her birth mother. She hated it because it was hard…the things they had talked about stirred up old feelings of rejection, and made Mia feel like crying or screaming – or both. She liked it because talking to Emma had made her feel better somehow. It _was_ kind of nice to be taken care of, at least the way Emma had been taking care of her.

Mia didn't quite know what to make of Emma. The woman was different from any of the other adults she had ever known. Her birth mother was different in a _good_ way, but her reactions were just so different from what Mia had come to expect that Mia had absolutely no idea what to expect from her. Mia felt like the woman was always catching her off guard. It was an uncomfortable feeling for someone like Mia who was so guarded.

Mia slipped her sneakers on and made her way out to the diner. She shuffled over to the booth where Emma was sitting across from Henry and the mayor, hesitating slightly when she saw the mayor.

Thanks to Zelena, Mia now knew that the mayor was Henry's adoptive mother, and she didn't really know how to feel about that. The woman had been nice enough to her, but Mia knew the woman had wanted her twin brother and hadn't wanted her. It made Mia feel like she wasn't good enough, and that made her resentful.

"Yes, Henry, she is. And she's especially dangerous to you because she's my sister," the mayor said. Her sister? Was she talking about Zelena?

Emma caught Mia's eye and moved over a little bit, looking at the empty space beside her and then back at her. Mia gave her a small smile and sat down next to her.

Henry frowned, looking at his adoptive mother in confusion. "If she's your sister, she's family…she's my aunt. Why – why would she be dangerous to me?"

"She's not exactly Aunt Becky." Mia received two blank stares and realized she'd spoken out loud - and it didn't look like the mayor appreciated her commentary. "Full House?" More blank staring. "No? Okay..."

Henry's expression turned bewildered. "How do you know?"

Mia was surprised he didn't know what she had done…she thought Emma would have told him. "Oh, um-"

"Oh, your sister and my sister are well-acquainted," the mayor told Henry.

"We're not really _well_ -acquainted. Just…acquainted," Mia said with a nervous glance at Emma. "But, um, your- Madam Mayor is right…she is dangerous to you."

"Did she say something to you about Henry?" The mayor demanded.

Mia could feel Emma's eyes on her, practically boring a hole into the side of Mia's head. Emma was probably angry that she hadn't told her earlier, but Mia really didn't think there was anything _to_ tell. It hadn't exactly been a threat. Mia would have told if she thought Zelena had some evil plan to kidnap her brother, but Zelena didn't, at least not that she'd shared.

"Um…well, she said that if she wanted to use anyone as bait for Emma, it would be Henry," Mia said slowly.

The mayor's eyes narrowed with something like suspicion. "Why would she tell you that?"

"Because I asked her if _I_ was bait."

The mayor arched her eyebrows. "And why would you think _you_ were bait? You were hardly kidnapped."

Mia shrugged, lowering her gaze to the tabletop and examining a chip in the surface near the edge.

Emma seemed to realize Mia wasn't going to say anything after a beat of silence and tried to explain. "She used magic to keep Mia there until she was ready for her to leave."

Henry gasped. "She used magic on you? Are – are you okay?"

Mia glanced at her twin in surprise. She knew he was mad at her because he thought she was being horrible to Emma so she didn't expect the concern she heard in his voice. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"One of my mother's signature moves," the mayor mused almost to herself. "And her favorite way to control me."

It hadn't occurred to Mia that her mother might use magic on her. She turned to Emma, frowning slightly. "Can you do that – with your…magic?"

Emma looked hurt that she would ask. "There's a difference between being able to do something and being willing to do it."

"So you _wouldn't_ use magic on me?"

"She wouldn't do that!" Henry exclaimed, looking offended on Emma's behalf.

Emma smiled at Henry. "No. I wouldn't." She hesitated before adding softly, "Not unless I had to in order to protect you or save you."

"Can we get back on topic here? Did you know about this? That she threatened Henry?" The mayor demanded, staring at Emma in an almost accusatory way.

Emma glanced at Mia with a hard expression and then turned back to the mayor. "No."

"It wasn't a threat. I would have told you if she threatened him," Mia told them. "It was more of a hypothetical situation."

Ruby brought their food over, and Mia quickly took a big bite of her grilled cheese. She hoped the mayor wouldn't question her if her mouth was full. And even if the mayor did question her further, Mia figured it would buy her time to come up with answers that wouldn't upset anyone.

But the mayor seemed to have given up on getting straight answers out of her and turned to Emma instead. "Miss Swan. A word?"

Without waiting for a response, the mayor stalked off. Mia got out of the booth to let Emma up and watched as Emma trailed after the mayor to the back hallway, wondering what they were talking about that they couldn't talk about in front of her and Henry.

Mia sighed and looked at her twin. "You may not believe me. _No one_ may believe me, but I really would have told you guys if I thought Zelena was going to, like, kidnap you."

Henry studied her for a moment, nodding slightly. "I believe you. And our mom will, too. She can always tell when anyone is lying to her."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Emma followed Regina across the crowded diner. As she walked past the booth her parents were sitting in, Mary Margaret frowned in concern and exchanged a look with David, who made a move like he was going to get up.

Emma shook her head slightly. "I've got this. Can you guys just watch Henry and Mia?"

Without waiting for an answer, Emma walked past them to where Regina was waiting for her impatiently in the back hallway.

"Look," Emma started in a resigned tone, "I know…she should have told me Zelena mentioned Henry. And I will have that conversation with her. But Mia wasn't lying…she doesn't believe it was a threat. She really would have told us if she did."

Emma could tell the girl wasn't lying when she said that she _would_ have told them if it had been a real threat, but Mia should have just told her everything.

Regina stared at her in disbelief. "Yes, well, she didn't believe Zelena was a threat to her either, did she? I'm sorry, but I don't really care _what_ she believes. She's twelve, and she's new here. She has no idea what my twisted sister is capable of. If she did, she wouldn't have run off half-cocked to have a tea party with the wicked witch!"

"She was wrong. She knows that now."

"Does she?" Regina questioned. "Zelena sure seemed to think it would be easy to turn her against you. I don't know whose side your daughter is on, but what I do know is that Zelena wants to destroy me, and the best way to do that would be through my son."

"Our son," Emma said softly. "It wouldn't just destroy you if anything happened to him. It would destroy me, too. You know that."

"And my sister would just see that as an added bonus!"

"I'm not going to let anything happen to him," Emma assured Regina.

"Good. Then you agree – we need to know everything Zelena said so _we_ can decide how worried we should be instead of letting a twelve year old decide," Regina said smoothly.

Emma sighed. "I'll talk to Mia."

"You already tried that. She lied to you."

"She didn't lie exactly…she just didn't tell me everything."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine, she omitted then. I don't know about you, Miss Swan, but in my book, a lie by omission is still a lie. Who knows what else she isn't telling us?"

Emma eyed the other woman wearily. "She's a kid, and she's scared. What do you want me to do? Beat it out of her?"

Regina shot her a look, looking insulted. "That's _not_ what I was suggesting. I want to see her memory firsthand."

At first Emma didn't understand. That wasn't possible, not unless – no. _No_. "No," she said resolutely. "I just told her I wouldn't use magic on her."

"You don't have to. I will," Regina told her…like that just solved everything.

" _No_. You won't," Emma said in a low, warning tone. "She's my kid, and it's my decision."

"Extracting the memory won't hurt Mia, but Zelena _could_ hurt Henry," Regina said with frustration in her voice. "We still don't know what she's up to…just that she wants to destroy me. Not kill me. _Destroy_ me. And what better way to do that than-"

"Henry."

"Yes, Henry. _Our_ son. This is his safety we're talking about here. And as for Mia's safety – extracting the memory won't hurt her. If anything, it may even help you with her if there's anything else she's not telling you that you need to be worried about. We already know Zelena has plans for her."

"Yeah, to turn her against me. If I use magic on her, I'll make it really easy for Zelena. I'll lose all trust…I'll lose Mia."

Regina stared. "She's lying to you and sneaking around. How much trust do you think you have?"

"Let's find out," Emma said after a moment's consideration.

"How? By talking to her?" Regina said in a slightly mocking tone, but without any real cruelty.

"Yes." Emma turned to go back to the booth. As far as she was concerned, the conversation was over. She was _not_ going to use magic on her daughter to see her memory.

"Wait, Swan!" Regina called somewhat desperately. "You think you can tell when anyone is lying. Tell me this - was Zelena lying when she said she was succeeding in turning Mia against you?"

Emma hesitated slightly. Zelena _had_ been telling the truth – or at least what she believed to be the truth. Apparently the moment's hesitation was answer enough.

Regina's eyes narrowed. "So she wasn't lying."

Zelena _wasn't_ lying, but she _was_ wrong. The lost little girl that they found in the woods didn't want revenge…she just wanted Emma. "Just because someone believes something doesn't make it true. Mia's angry with me – that's true. She has every right to be. And she hasn't forgiven me for giving her up, but Zelena's wrong about one thing…Mia doesn't want revenge…she just wants a mother."

"Well, she needs to get over her anger and mistrust or Zelena _will_ use it," Regina warned her. "My mother was a master manipulator, and apparently so is my sister. And an angry child is easily manipulated. Right now your daughter is a pawn in whatever game Zelena is playing. I, for one, want to know what the score is."

Emma looked over at Mia, who was sipping cocoa from her mug and nodding to whatever Henry had said to her. She was glad neither kid looked angry or upset, at least not at the moment. "Yeah, well, Zelena can't manipulate Mia if she can't get anywhere near her."

"We can use a protection spell to keep Henry and Mia safe just as long as they stay within the boundaries of the spell, but if either of them leave, all bets are off," Regina told her.

Emma looked at Regina with a knowing expression. "And they both have a history of running off. I'm going to keep a really close eye on them."

"She can't get her hands on Henry…" Regina's voice broke off. "Emma, I…can't win in a fight against her."

Emma studied Regina for a moment. The other woman had never given up, not when it came to Henry. She always fought for him. Emma knew Regina would still fight for him, but how could she win if she didn't believe in herself?

"This isn't like you. Why are you so sure you'll lose?"

Regina wordlessly offered Emma the letter that she found in her vault earlier and had apparently been carrying around ever since. It took Emma a few seconds to take the letter from Regina. She was curious what the hell was in the letter that had upset Regina so much, but it didn't seem like Regina wanted anyone to know…and now suddenly Regina was just giving it to her.

Emma glanced at Regina, almost for permission before carefully unfolding the letter. She half-expected Regina to change her mind and snatch it back, but she didn't.

The letter was from Gold to Cora, and it was about Cora's firstborn…Zelena.

Emma gasped and looked at Regina with raised eyebrows. "The most powerful sorceress he's ever encountered...more powerful than Cora?"

Regina nodded mutely.

"I don't understand," Emma said in a confused tone. "If you knew you couldn't win, why did you come with me when I thought Mia was with Zelena?"

Regina scoffed. "Like I was going to let you go alone. It's my fight. She's my sister. I'm the one she wants to destroy…not you."

Emma shook her head. "It's not just your fight, Regina. She cursed everyone. Neal is dead because of her. And she wants my parents' baby."

"That's not the child we need to be worried about. Mary Margaret will stay within the boundaries of the protection spell. It's Henry and Mia who might not." Regina looked over at Henry and sighed. "I don't want to let him out of my sight."

Emma followed Regina's gaze to where Henry and Mia were deep in conversation. "Neither do I. You're right…we do need to be worried about them. What do you want to do here?"

"I want to see that memory, but since you're so dead-set against it, I guess I'm just going to have to settle for whatever your daughter feels like sharing with you. And until we know exactly what Zelena is up to, I want Henry with me any time he's not with you."

"He can't be with either of us when you and Zelena throw down tomorrow because I'll be with you in case you need a little extra firepower. So you're going to have to trust someone else," Emma told her.

"And who do you suggest? The one-handed wonder pirate?"

"I trust him," Emma said simply.

"Even after he lost your daughter today? I hope he's more careful with my son than he was with your daughter. If anything happens to Henry…"

Regina didn't need to finish the threat. Emma offered her a rueful smile. "Then you won't be the only pissed off mom Hook has to deal with."

* * *

"So she can always tell when you're lying?" Mia asked her twin after Emma and Regina were out of earshot. "Really?"

Emma had told her that she could always tell when anyone was lying, and so far the woman _had_ seemed to know when Mia was lying, but Mia thought there had to be a way around it.

"Pretty much," Henry told her.

"But- that's just not…" Mia's voice trailed off. She didn't know what to say - it wasn't what…fair? "I mean, how? _How_ does she always know?" If she knew how Emma knew, maybe she could…she didn't even know – keep her face blank…maintain eye contact…just lie better somehow?

"You don't believe it's her superpower?" Henry said in a teasing tone.

Mia scoffed. "No."

Henry raised his eyebrows. "Even after everything you've seen today? You don't believe she could have a superpower?"

"I don't know," Mia said honestly, laughing uncomfortably.

"Why don't you just tell her the truth?" Henry questioned innocently. Was he really that innocent?

"I am telling the truth now. But you can't tell me you always tell your mother the truth about everything?"

" _Our_ mother. And I don't tell her everything." Okay, maybe he wasn't as innocent as Mia thought…

Mia could appreciate that, but _not_ telling wasn't really an option for her in this case, not when Emma and the mayor would come back to the booth at any minute and would probably have more questions for her. If Mia lied, Emma would know. If Mia refused to answer, they would know she was hiding something and push her for answers.

Mia had told Emma _almost_ everything, but she did not particularly want Emma to know why she wanted to talk to Zelena in the first place. Emma seemed to think it was just because she had told her not to talk to the other woman, and that was definitely a part of it, but Mia had also wanted to know what Emma wasn't telling her, and, at the time at least, she thought she had a better chance of getting the truth from Zelena than Emma. Mia knew that would just hurt Emma and she was trying not to do that anymore.

"Easy for you to say." Mia tried to keep the resentment out of her voice. "She actually trusts you. She always thinks I'm up to something."

Henry glanced at her in amusement. "Maybe because you _are_ always up to something."

"I am not," Mia said indignantly.

Henry gave her an incredulous look.

"I mean, not always," Mia said quietly.

Henry rolled his eyes. "If you want our mom to trust you, maybe you should stop lying to her."

Mia shot him an annoyed look. "Funny, I don't remember you having a problem with lying when you wanted to go talk to Walsh behind Emma's back."

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell her what we were doing. That's why we got away with it," Henry told her.

Mia raised her eyebrows. "We? Whose idea was it again?"

"Fine, that's why _I_ got away with it."

"What about when you don't get away with stuff? What does Emma usually do?" Mia asked awkwardly.

"I don't usually get caught," Henry said with a cocky grin. He realized quickly that she was really worried and wanted a real answer. It occurred to him why his twin would be worried and he sobered up quickly. "She's different from your foster parents. Whatever they did to you, our mom would never do that. Don't worry, she'll probably just talk to you about why you can't sneak off to see the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Oh, she already did. And I think it's off to see the wizard, not the Wicked Witch of the West." Mia tried to lighten the mood a little bit, earning a chuckle from Henry. "She said I have to be with her or someone she trusts until she can trust me. What does that mean?"

"Exactly what I said." Mia heard Emma's voice from behind her and swiveled around to look at the woman. "You'll be spending a lot of time with me and my parents."

Henry groaned softly. "All Mary Margaret does is talk about babies."

"You'll be with me when you're not with Emma," the mayor told him as she sat back down next to him.

Mia waited anxiously for the mayor to resume her interrogation, but she didn't. Emma did.

* * *

As Emma and Regina approached the booth where they left Henry and Mia, they heard the tail end of what Mia was saying.

"She said I have to be with her or someone she trusts until she can trust me. What does that mean?" Mia asked in a confused tone.

Emma thought she'd explained that not leaving Mia alone wasn't intended to be a punishment…it was just to keep her safe, but she could tell her daughter still felt like she was being punished. There weren't a lot of foster parents out there, if any, who would handle Mia not listening to them the way Emma was handling it. The poor kid would probably be less confused if Emma _had_ kicked her out.

"Exactly what I said." Emma tried to assure the poor kid that she meant what she said and Mia didn't need to read between the lines for a deeper meaning. "You'll be spending a lot of time with me and my parents."

Henry groaned. "All Mary Margaret does is talk about babies."

Emma knew Mary Margaret had bored the kids with baby talk when she watched them, but she trusted the woman to take care of her kids when she couldn't have them with her. She had seen firsthand how protective her mother was of her in the Enchanted Forest and knew the woman would protect Henry and Mia. She'd take her kids bored and unhappy over dead any day, even if they didn't love how she was keeping them safe.

Henry brightened when Regina told him that he would be with her when he wasn't with Emma.

Mia looked sullen, but didn't complain…at least not to her. Emma wondered what else the girl had said to Henry…probably more than she had said to her.

Emma knew Mia hadn't told her everything. She was worried about what else the girl wasn't telling her…she had to be. But if she wanted answers – and she did – she knew she had to stay calm. She took a deep breath and sat down beside her daughter. "Look at me, Mia." She waited for the girl to meet her gaze hesitantly. "When I asked you what happened between you and Zelena, I wanted to know everything that happened. But you didn't tell me she mentioned Henry. If there's _anything_ else you're not telling me, it's time to talk, kid."

"Even if you don't think it's important, it could mean something to me," Regina added.

Mia glanced at Regina with a knowing expression. "Because she's your sister."

"Yes. Well, half-sister," Regina qualified. "We share a mother."

"Not really though," Mia mumbled under her breath. Emma couldn't tell if the girl had wanted anyone to hear her, but they had.

Regina's eyes narrowed slightly. "Excuse me?"

Mia shrugged. "You didn't share her. You had her. Zelena didn't."

Regina stared incredulously. "She's _jealous_? That's what this is about?"

"Well, yeah," Mia said like it should have been obvious. Emma knew Mia was jealous of Henry and wondered if Zelena had actually said that she was jealous or if Mia just _thought_ she was.

"She actually said that?" Emma questioned.

"She said she had nothing, and her sister had everything." Mia nodded toward Regina, but her eyes darted toward Henry - a dead giveaway that the girl thought what she was saying applied to her and Henry, too. "She said her mother kept her sister and gave her everything she should've had."

"And you? Are you jealous of Henry?" Regina asked with false calm.

Emma interjected before her daughter could say anything that would make Regina any more defensive...that would _not_ be helpful. "There's a difference between wanting a mother and wanting to destroy your sibling. This is not normal sibling rivalry here. It's…crazy."

"She's one twisted witch," Regina agreed.

Mia looked uncomfortable...maybe because this whole conversation hit a little too close to home for her. The girl _was_ jealous of Henry. Emma didn't like it, but she could kind of understand. _She_ was a little jealous of her unborn baby brother.

"Um…Emma said Henry had this book of fairy tales when he brought her here, you know, before?" Mia tried to change the subject. She looked around the booth, but was careful not to meet anyone's gaze. "Only…it's not just fairy tales. The stories in the book actually happened…like it had Emma in it as a baby. Well…I'm not sure it's the same book, but Zelena has a book like that."

Emma couldn't tell if Mia had been planning to share that with them or if she was just so desperate to change the subject from jealous siblings that she would tell them just about anything in that moment. Either way she was glad Mia told them, though she wondered why Mia hadn't said anything earlier when Emma mentioned the book. They'd been looking for the book, and that witch had it.

Emma caught Regina's eye. "Henry's book."

"She has it," Regina said in a low, dangerous tone. "And I'm going to get it back."

"I'm going with you," Emma told her.

"Wait!" Henry cried. "I don't want you – _either_ of you – to get hurt over some book."

"It's not just some book, Henry," Regina said with a patience she only ever had with Henry. "We think it might be the key to you remembering everything."


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** As always, thanks so much for reading and reviewing! This is a little bit of a filler chapter with some family time for Emma, Henry and Mia and then a good breakthrough for Emma and Mia. The author's note at the end has a spoiler for this so if you don't want to know what's coming up, don't read it!

 **Chapter 22**

After dinner they watched a movie on Netflix on Emma's laptop. Emma sat in the middle of the couch with a kid on each side of her, and her laptop open in her lap. Henry's feet were on the coffee table and he was sprawled out on her right side, leaning into her and resting his head casually on her shoulder. Mia was curled up on her left side with her feet underneath her, peering over Emma's shoulder at the computer screen. They were watching one of the newer Marvel movies – it had been Henry's choice, but Mia had quickly agreed. The girl admitted that she hadn't read any of the comics – something Henry was already planning to change. It was a semi-normal family moment – one of the only they'd really had since coming to Storybrooke. It had been a lot of time away from Henry and Mia, and secrets and lies when she was actually with them. It made Emma miss New York.

Oh, she knew things wouldn't have been easy with her daughter no matter where they were…it wouldn't change the fact that she gave the girl up, and the girl went through hell in the system. Emma would still feel guilty, and Mia would still be angry. The kid probably wouldn't have listened to her in any zip code. But at least if the girl ran off in New York, she would have gone to Central Park or the library or somewhere like that… _not_ the wicked witch's house.

Emma was actually relieved both kids knew everything now, although she didn't love how Mia found out. She didn't like lying to her kids, and she hoped knowing who Zelena really was would make Mia stay the hell away from her. She glanced at the girl in question and wrapped an arm around her thin shoulders, pulling her daughter into her side. It took a second for Mia to relax against her, but she did after a moment, even resting her head on Emma's shoulder like Henry was.

Mia fell asleep like that before the movie ended. The girl's weight became dead weight, her head lolled on Emma's shoulder, and her breathing evened out. The poor kid had to be exhausted after the day she'd had.

Henry glanced over at his sister. "Is she asleep?"

"Yes," Emma whispered.

"But she's okay, right? Zelena really didn't hurt her?" Henry asked anxiously.

"Right." Emma glanced at her son. "You were worried about her?"

"Duh. She's my sister."

Emma chuckled softly. "She is definitely your twin. You don't remember any of this, but you ran away a couple times yourself."

Henry turned to her with wide eyes. "I did?"

"You ran away from Regina to find me. You were ten, and you hopped a bus out of town and went all the way to Boston alone." Emma arched an eyebrow and gave him a look of disapproval.

Henry shrugged. "It was for a good cause…to find you," he said, offering her a sheepish grin.

Emma cracked a smile. "I'm glad you found me."

"Me, too," Henry mumbled sleepily.

Emma nudged his shoulder. "Okay, kid, time for bed."

"But the movie's not over," Henry protested weakly.

"The avengers win," Emma told him, knowing he'd already read the comic and seen the movie.

"Good always wins," Henry mumbled as he stood up.

Emma watched him trudge into the bathroom and then turned to Mia. After waking her – or at least trying to, Emma maneuvered the half-asleep kid over to the bed. Once Mia flopped down on top of the bed, Emma pulled the covers up over her.

"Good night, Mom," Henry told her as he got into the other bed.

Emma kissed the top of his head and tucked him in. "Good night, kid. I love you."

* * *

Mia suddenly found herself back in Zelena's farmhouse. Emma burst into the farmhouse, demanding that the redheaded woman give her Henry's book.

"Why would I give it to you?" Zelena said in a slightly mocking tone. "You're the savior, and I'm wicked."

"It's my son's book. I'm not leaving without it," Emma told her.

"Perhaps you won't be leaving at all," Zelena mused.

The redheaded woman disappeared and reappeared right behind Emma.

"Emma!" Mia cried, but her birth mother didn't act like she heard her.

A ball of _something_ – energy maybe – appeared in Zelena's right hand, and she raised her hand as if to throw it at Emma.

"Emma!" Mia yelled.

Emma still didn't act like she heard her, but she must have sensed Zelena's presence behind her because she whipped around. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw Zelena.

Emma raised her own hands in a defensive pose. Mia held her breath as she waited, reminding herself that her birth mother had magic, too. The woman could take care of herself…couldn't she?

Emma looked at her hands in surprise…almost like she was wondering why she didn't have a strange ball of energy of her own. What was she _doing_? If Emma didn't do something, and fast-

It was too late. Zelena's ball of energy hit Emma squarely in the chest. Mia watched in horror as her birth mother cried out and fell to the ground.

"NO!" Mia screamed as she ran over to the blonde woman. She could hear Zelena almost cackling in the background. She dropped to her knees next to Emma and leaned over her, shaking her a little. "Emma? Emma! _Emma_!"

Mia yelled her birth mother's name over and over again, sounding more desperate every time, but Emma just lied there motionlessly. The green eyes that normally looked at Mia with so much understanding were completely lifeless.

Her birth mother – her mom – was dead.

"Mia!"

Someone was calling her name…someone who sounded almost as desperate as Mia felt. It almost sounded like Emma.

It took Mia several long seconds to wake up from the nightmare, and even longer to realize that it _was_ a nightmare. Emma wasn't dead. Emma was standing over her, looking at her with eyes filled with concern and maybe even fear.

"Emma?" Mia asked in a small voice. She needed to hear her mother's voice.

"Kid," Emma breathed. "You're okay."

Mia struggled into a sitting position with the covers tangled around her feet. She was breathing heavily as she came down from the panic and fear that had risen in her. She reached out for Emma instinctively, putting a hand on the woman's wrist and squeezing once – not hard, but enough to know her birth mother was there and _real_.

Emma glanced at the hand that was wrapped around her wrist in surprise. The woman hesitated for a second and then spoke. "Scoot over."

Mia blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Scoot over," Emma repeated.

Mia obeyed without really thinking. Emma climbed into bed next to her.

* * *

Emma woke up in the middle of the night because she heard crying – or yelling – or maybe both. She wasn't sure. She was still half-asleep.

After a moment, she realized that it _was_ both, and it was Mia. Her daughter was crying out in her sleep…another nightmare then. Emma hoped the man who gave her daughter nightmares was locked up in maximum-security prison. Trey Gilbert deserved it. Actually, he deserved far worse than prison.

Emma glanced at Henry's bed and was surprised to see that he'd slept through all the crying and yelling. The bed he was sleeping in was only maybe two or three feet away from Mia's bed, separated only by the nightstand in the middle of the two queen beds. It was a pretty typical layout for a hotel room with two beds.

As Emma stumbled over to Mia's bed in the dark, she realized the girl wasn't just crying out…she was crying out for her. Her own name came out of the girl's mouth in an almost strangled sound. At first she wondered if she heard right, but she didn't have to wonder for long…the girl cried out for her again, over and over again.

That was new. Mia didn't come to her for help – or at least she hadn't in the few weeks she'd been living with Emma. The kid let Emma help her…some of the time, not all the time, but she didn't actually ask for help ever.

Emma's heart hurt for her daughter, knowing that she hadn't been there to protect her when Trey was hurting her. No one had. Her kid had been alone with that sick bastard.

Emma had been saving her son from Pan while Trey was hurting her daughter. Nothing Emma could do now would change that. She didn't know how to make things better for the girl, or if she even could. Sure, she could wake her up from her nightmare, but it wasn't just a nightmare…it had really happened to the little girl.

Emma had woken the kid up from nightmares before – a couple of times, but this time was different, and not just because the kid was crying out for her. Mia always cried out almost desperately, but the girl's cries had never been filled with grief like this. Something was just…different...wrong even.

The kid was also harder to wake up than she had ever been before. It was like she was stuck in the nightmare and couldn't wake. It almost reminded Emma of the nightmares Mary Margaret had described being stuck in from the sleeping curse, and that scared the hell out of Emma.

Finally the girl's eyes flew open and met Emma's. The girl looked surprised to see her even though she'd been calling for her.

"Emma?"

Emma almost sighed in relief. The kid was _finally_ awake. "Kid…you're okay." She was trying to reassure herself of the fact almost as much as she was trying to calm Mia down.

Mia sat up in the bed, her breaths coming in harsh gasps. She reached out and grabbed Emma's wrist, startling Emma. Her hand tightened for a brief moment and then relaxed slowly.

Emma didn't know what to do. She had tried to get Mia to talk about her nightmares before, but Mia would not talk to her about Trey…not now that she knew Emma was her mother. Emma didn't quite understand _why_ it was easier for Mia to talk to her about Trey when she was just some random person and not her mother, but it was for some reason.

Her daughter clearly wanted her in that moment, but Emma didn't know _what_ she wanted her to do exactly. Well, she knew her daughter probably _wouldn't_ want to talk about it with her, even if talking would help. What did the girl want then? Emma knew that _she_ had always just wanted to feel like she wasn't alone when she woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night as a kid…she felt scared and alone, and wanted so badly to have parents whose bed she could sleep in for the rest of the night, but none of her foster parents had allowed her in their bedroom, even when she was pretty young.

"Scoot over," Emma said gently after a moment's thought.

Mia looked confused. "What?"

"Scoot over."

Mia did, and Emma climbed into the queen bed next to her. She looped an arm around the girl's shoulders, and pulled her daughter into her side, hoping the tense girl would relax against her like she had when they were watching the movie.

Mia almost melted in her arms, burying her head in Emma's shoulder. Emma could feel the girl's shuddered breathing against her neck. The girl's fingers curled tightly around the bottom of Emma's tank top.

"That was one heck of a nightmare." Emma offered the kid a sympathetic smile before realizing that Mia couldn't actually see her with the way her face was buried in Emma's shoulder. "It seemed like it was a bit worse than normal."

"Yeah," Mia admitted, murmuring the word quietly into Emma's shoulder.

Really? That was all the kid was going to give her?

"You said my name."

Mia's head snapped up and she pulled back just enough to look at her with wide eyes. "I – I did?"

"Uh-huh."

Mia bit her bottom lip and looked down. Emma waited a few seconds to see if the girl would say anything, but realized after a moment that she wasn't going to.

"Did I kill Trey?" Emma asked hopefully, trying to keep her tone light…almost joking.

Mia blinked in confusion. "It wasn't about Trey."

Emma frowned. "What was it about then?"

Mia considered her answer carefully. "Zelena."

Emma's frown deepened. She knew Zelena's show of magic had scared her daughter, but she didn't think it would give the kid nightmares. She sighed. "I wish you had listened to me and stayed away from her."

"I'm sorry."

"I know," Emma told her, combing her fingers gently through her daughter's hair…it was tangled from sleep.

Mia let out a soft sigh and rested her head on Emma's shoulder again. "You have magic, right?" The girl murmured after a few seconds. "Like Zelena?"

Emma looked down at the girl in surprise. "Not exactly like Zelena. I have light magic."

"Oh." There was _something_ in Mia's voice that Emma didn't understand. "Can you throw balls of energy?"

" _What?_ Did Zelena-"

"No. I mean, not _actually_ , but in my dream she did."

"You don't have to worry about that because she's not going to get within throwing distance of you," Emma told her.

"She didn't throw it at me. She threw it at you," Mia mumbled into her shoulder. "In my dream…it killed you."

Oh. _Oh._ That was why the girl was crying out for her. "Oh, kid. I'm right here. And I'm fine."

"Yeah, _now_."

"Zelena has magic, but I have magic, too. If she comes at me, I'm not going down without a fight," Emma told her. "I will fight like hell against her because I have something to fight for – my family…you and Henry."

"But what if you lose?" Mia almost whispered.

Emma inhaled sharply. She didn't want to think about that…she didn't want her kid to think about that. Instead of answering, she said, "You know, dreams are your subconscious at work."

"Okay, Dr. Phil," Mia said sarcastically.

Emma shot her a look and pressed on. "When I found you in the woods, you thought you'd screwed up so bad that I would just give up on you."

Mia lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact.

"You didn't. You _couldn't_. No matter what you do, you are a part of this family, and families stick together. But I don't know…maybe you were so afraid you'd be alone again that you dreamed you were," Emma mused.

"Maybe," Mia muttered with heavy doubt in her voice. "I'm okay now. You can go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Emma told her.

After several long seconds, Mia looked up at her. "Aren't you going back to the couch?"

"No," Emma said, "I'm staying right here."

Emma ignored her daughter's half-hearted protest and slid down until she was lying down with her head on the pillow instead of sitting up in the bed. She kept an arm wrapped around Mia's shoulders, pulling her daughter down with her so the girl was lying next to her.

Mia wriggled around a little to get comfortable. She fell asleep before Emma did, and Emma just lie awake, watching her daughter sleep for a little while. She couldn't get her mind to shut off. She didn't know how to help her daughter, and it was killing her.

The poor kid had nightmares almost every night…nightmares where she relived all the crap she'd gone through in the system and now nightmares about losing her.

Emma decided that if Mia wouldn't talk to Archie, she was going to, damn it. Maybe he could help her find a way to help her daughter.

 **Author's Note:** Here's a question I'd love to hear your thoughts on. Mia is going to slip off at some point to talk to Zelena again. It won't be in the next chapter, but it will be in one of the next few. She will have a reason for doing it, and it will be a pretty good one. Do you think Henry would cover for her if he understood her reason for doing it? Do you think he would tell on her if he thought there was any chance she could get hurt? I can't decide how he would react, and I'm trying to keep him in character.


End file.
